


Constant Satellites

by Scarecrowqueen



Category: Jumper (2008)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, M/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 17:56:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19010914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarecrowqueen/pseuds/Scarecrowqueen
Summary: Newly discovered Jumper David Rice has been accepted against his will into Gould Academy, a school that trains young Jumpers for use in a world willing to exploit them. However he's not the only one looking for a way out...





	1. Meet David

**Author's Note:**

> I did what I swore I would never do, and wrote a high school fic. This is a little brainchild that came about from a nightshift at the video rental store I worked at. We had Jumper on our Blu-Ray demo and X-Men on the rest of the tv's, and the idea gave birth to itself. I kinda took the idea of a school for mutants and thought "hey, why not Jumpers?" It then grew from a cute little "what-if?" sort of one-shot into a multichapter monster. Hopefully you all enjoy the ride :D 
> 
> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

Fifteen year old David Rice supposed that if he had to pinpoint the moment his life had gone to pot, it would have been when he was five. To be honest, it probably started with his birth, but up until the age of five he'd been just any other kid in any other small town USA. Then he turned five and everything fell apart, starting with his mother.

David's mother had been the best mother on earth. David was sure of it. She read stories with all the voices and made him soup when he was sick, or when it was cold out, or sometimes just because. She played games and sang songs and took him to the park and always had a special smile, just for him. Even as faded and grey as all his memories of her had become, he still remembered loving her with everything inside his five year old body, and then probably some.

Then she left, David's father turned to alcohol and a little boy's entire world came undone. His father outright refused to ever speak of her again and David had never learned what, if anything, the man had known about his wife's disappearance. He'd have spent most of his life despondent and alone if it hadn't of been for Millie Harris, his best and only friend since diapers. She was sweet and lovely, the sister he'd never had. She'd carried him through dark times, held him when he cried, and patched him up after his father had hit him in a drunken temper. So when Mark Kobold had taken the Christmas gift David had given her (and shoveled many a driveway to earn the money for in the first place!) and tossed it onto the frozen river, he didn't think twice about walking onto the thin ice for it. Even when all the kids watching started yelling for him to come back, he kept on, thinking of the instant of joy on Millie's face when she'd first held the heavy glass snow globe. But maybe David had been wrong before, and it was what happened next that started the nightmare he was in now.

One second David was returning to solid ground, snow globe in hand, when suddenly Millie was at his side, tugging his sleeve, urging him to hurry. The next thing he knew they were below the ice. The shock of the cold forcing the air from his lungs, extremities immediately numb. The cold burned his eyes to much to keep them open and closing them rendered his world dark and silent. He reached for Millie, but came up empty handed. He was dimly aware of the swift current pushing at him, keeping him moving but he was already slowing his struggles, heart sluggishly trying to move icy cold blood, lungs burning for air and ready to accept water instead. It was only the jolt of hitting the floor in the middle of the Ann Arbor public library that had him gasping for breath and coughing, relieved at the intake of pure fresh air. It took him several seconds to reorient himself, and by the time he had the head librarian had already called an ambulance and begun treating him for hypothermia. Yeah, that was it; the split second between the river and the library's nonfiction section that had changed his life. The moment of his first jump, when confused and dying he'd wished for a warm safe place, and managed to bring himself there on will alone. Millie's body was found the next day over half a mile downriver. She'd never had a chance. David's guilt and grief was so raw he hadn't yet even cried.

Now three days later after being discharged from the hospital; after the men in black suits had come to the door and made long speeches about "late blooming" and "betterment of mankind," his father had signed countless pieces of paper that gave sole custody of David over to the United International Jumpers Council minus the occasional visitation, and been promised monetary compensation for his trouble. David was property of the UIJC now, as all Jumpers were worldwide. Of course most jumpers manifest sometime before the age of seven, in fact fifteen was almost unheard of. It meant David was woefully behind on his training. "What training?" David had asked, the first thing he'd said unprompted to the pair of men since they'd arrived at his home. David already had an inkling of the answer though. In a world of 7.4 billion people, there were only a little over 500 known Jumpers, making them a precious commodity. Any person that could instantly move all over the globe was in high demand for everything from boring courier jobs to exciting careers with many search and rescue organizations. From working for a hospital to ferry the severely injured straight into the ER to giving guided tours of exotic places usually thought to be inaccessible to the general public. Jumpers were never without options and Gould academy in New Zealand where David was now enrolled was the only school in the world that prepared young Jumpers for these possibilities.

Naturally, the first man went on to explain as he fastened an odd and heavy metal band snugly on David's right wrist, no Jumper was allowed to work in a mundane career. Nor were they allowed unregulated jumps across international borders without clearing it with the UIJC first. The men explained about the creation of inhibitor bracelets and the matching keystones. Keystones were machines installed inside any country, state or even building that wanted to regulate or prevent jumping outright. Once inside a territory controlled through a wireless signal by the keystone, the second man explained to David, who was staring at his wrist in horror, the inhibitor would block all jumping abilities until the jump was authorized by the UIJC. Most small-grade keystones prevented theft from businesses and residents by prevented jumps into or out of the building they were installed in. Medium keystones, like the ones installed in the Gould Academy, prevented students from leaving campus to play hooky. Unless of course, the first man was quick to reassure David, it was a pre-approved visit home. David glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye, sizing up the beer in his hand and the scowl on him face and decided he'd be spending most holidays in the dorms. Millie was dead and never coming back, meaning there was nothing in this town for him anymore. For a moment, the thought overwhelmed him and he reeled. Explanation done, the men gave him 15 minutes to pack before man number two grabbed his arm and with a sharp burst of air the trio appeared before a large wrought iron gate.

Ok, David thought, slowly taking in his surroundings as the gate swung open. So maybe Gould Academy was a little less intimidating in person than he'd built it up to be in his head.

Only by a small, small margin though.

The sprawling campus stretched forward before him, covering nearly 250 acres of New Zealand's most beautiful territory on one of the smaller, less inhabited islands. All in all, the school was well located; isolated enough from the rest of the population by miles of open space, but situated only a short trip from many nature trails, a small scenic overlook, and of course, the beach. The buildings themselves were large, airy structures designed to have an old-world feel while combining the more modern architectural ideas of "open layouts" and "cram as many windows in for maximum sun exposure." Complete with four gender-segregated student dorms, a cafeteria located in the conservatory, a large gymnasium including outdoor track and multipurpose sports field, an art and music studio slash auditorium, and of course the main building housing all other classrooms and a wing of science labs. The school was a little piece of heaven on earth for the average teenager.

David was definitely not your average teenager and if he could have gotten away with jumping himself to the bottom of the Pacific, he would've.

Allowing himself to be led by his nameless (hulking!) escorts, David made his way past a handful of students enjoying the free time in the sunshine between last class and dinner; a group of tweens sprawled on a circle surrounded by a pile of textbooks comparing homework answers, a handful of younger children climbed on a jungle gym off to one side. Over on the multipurpose field in the distance David could make out half a dozen teenagers participating in what looked like a typical team practice, provided the sport involved was some kind of freak hybrid between volleyball, basketball, and was that a Frisbee? David shook his head minutely to clear it; certain that Quidditch would make more sense to him at this point. The whole last three days had been beyond surreal, and he kept waiting and waiting to wake up from this horrible dream. The first day he'd even pinched his own arm so hard he'd broke skin, but by now he was becoming resigned to his new fate.

Making his way down the wide brightly lit corridor to the main office, David focused as hard has he could on the back on his guide's plain black suit jackets, if only to avoid meeting the eyes of any of the gawkers that were trying and failing to look uninterested in the new face. Stepping through the double glass doors into the main office, David was waved into a smaller office near the back. The men in black suits shutting the door behind him with a soft thump that echoed like a death knell. David was trapped with a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and an impatient smile.

"Have a seat son" The man says, and David obeys mechanically. "We have much to go over." His nametag reads "PRINCIPAL BROWN" which says absolutely nothing descriptive about him. Attempting to listen as "PRINCIPAL BROWN" talked about class schedules, optional courses and future career paths while David nods, mumbles something about drama and creative writing, and smiles emptily in that order. After a few more rote pleasantries, David is handed a schedule, a campus map, along with his dorm and locker assignment and offered first a guided tour and a handshake. David declines the first and hesitantly accepts the second, and is then promptly cut loose into the nearly empty halls where a small group of three students who seem to be all headed for dinner somewhere, if the chatter about Pizza Tuesdays was to be believed. Feeling sick to his stomach, David pulled the hood of his sweater up to obscure his face and set about walking against the flow, determined to find his dorm, unpack his bag, crawl into bed and perhaps suffocate himself in his pillow. The urge to jump away is overwhelming, but the weight of the inhibitor bracelet he'd been slapped with seemed to triple around his wrist, keeping him grounded. It felt like a manacle and that thought made David even sicker. Screw Pizza Tuesdays or whatever, the first thing he was going to do once he found his way out of the main building and over to his dorm was try and drown himself in a hot shower.

Rounding the next corner delivered him into another deserted hallway as bland and generic as the ones before. Unable to make heads or tails of the map, David sighed and shuffled forward, determined to make it to the boy's second dorms before night came. He was so lost in his own head he barely even registered the odd site that caught the corner or his eye from an open doorway. Once he processed what he'd seen though, he found himself stopping dead and slowing turning, moving into the doorway of the apparent copy room for a closer look.

"Whoa." He murmured; having not been wrong.

Sitting on one of the biggest, newest, and priciest photocopier David had even seen was a boy probably a year or two older than David, most likely a senior to David's sophomore and trouble from the looks of it. Wild shaggy hair, a scruffy canvas jacket in a military green and heavy black combat boots were the first things he noticed. The second thing was the pair of black jeans and blue plaid boxers pushed down the mid thigh. In fact the only thing saving David's delicate sensibilities was the faded black t-shirt that was thankfully long enough to fall into the boys lap. David blinked slowly, but when he opened his eyes, the boy was still there, swinging legs crossed at the ankles lightly as the photocopy machine whirred and hummed, casting little highlights and shadows as it scanned and dutifully reproduced perfect pictures of the boy's ass. In high contrast and astoundingly detailed photo quality, thank you expensive office equipment. It was around that moment that David realized the boy was speaking and in a clear British accent, no less.

"Eh, a little privacy over here, yeah?" The boy seemed less upset at being caught in a compromising position, and more upset at being ogled at by a stunned David.

"Yeah, ok." David forced out; closing his gaping jaw with an audible click and taking a step backwards.

"Big fancy school, guy photocopying his arse... it's not a fashion show. Can you give me some space?" The guy waved a hand in the air vaguely as if mapping out his own personal bubble, one which clearly did not involve David's continued presence.

"Sure, place is all yours." Putting his hands up in front of him to emphasize his point, David took another step back and turned, continuing on down the hallway while deciding not to let his odd first encounter with a fellow student deter him from his ultimate goal of a shower, bed, and pity-party. He'd only gone a couple of steps before the dull clump of thick soles on tile and a now-recognizable voice had him turning back again.

"Hey, wait, new kid?" The boy was still adjusting his pants on his hips and buckling his belt, unkempt hair in his eyes, holding himself casually but looking with intent on David like he was seeking revelation. Something about the other boy compelled David to raise a hand to his hood, pulling it down to give the boy in front of him an unimpeded view of his face. This must have been the right move because the boy's stance shifted slightly after, like a miniscule relaxation and he favored David with and edgy pirate smile. Emboldened, David took the introduction a step further.

"David Rice." He stated simply in and even tone, trusting the other to catch on. In the heartbeat that passed before the strange, wild boy responded. David watched that lopsided smile widen just enough to reveal a flash of canine, as if the other boy were a predator having scented something tasty. The sickness that had abated somewhat in David's distraction came over him again full force.

"Well then, David Rice," The boy spoke as if savoring the name on his tongue. "Welcome to Jumper High."


	2. Breakfast of Champions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward silences and breakfast cereal as a tool of vengeance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

David blinked, taken aback and fumbling for a reply. "Well, that is… Um, thanks, I guess?" David's sudden loss of confidence only fed the hungry shark grin on the shorter boy's face. Scrabbling frantically to diffuse the tension; David suddenly remembered the paper he clutched in a death grip and thrust it under the other boy's nose. The boy leaned back fractionally, grin fading and eyes almost crossing at the paper that had magically appeared in his face. David would have laughed, if he weren't, y'know, so goddamn nervous all of a sudden. "It's my dorm assignment, I'm kinda, sorta, maybejustalittle… lost?" David could feel the hot uncomfortable blush rising on the back of his neck as the other kid's eyes shifted from the paper to David's face, making full eye contact. The awkward silence seemed to stretch on and on while David fought he urge to look away, or fidget or something, anything to break the moment. Just when he was ready to mumble and apology and shuffle away (preferably to hang himself), the boy snatched the page from David's outstretched hand. Holding the sheet in question up delicately with a deft hand, blue eyes rapidly scanned the writing until one eyebrow quirked up almost unnoticeably. The sinking feeling in David's gut deepened as a hint of the predatory smirk reappeared like an old friend on his companions face.

"Nice, 22A? Know where that is, don't I? Come on then." The boy swiftly sidestepped David and moved on down the hall, not walking so much as striding purposefully. Despite his longer legs, David found himself working harder than expected at keeping up as the boy made an abrupt right turn down a small hall and out an exit door. In the evening sunlight of the small quad, the shorter boy's hair seemed to have more blonde highlights than David had thought. The idea had barely formed before they were up a short flight of concrete stairs and into the next building. David knew immediately the building was a dorm; something about the feel of it was familiar, like the energy of dozens of students sleeping, studying, and laughing had sucked up into the walls and hummed quietly to anyone willing to hear. David's impromptu guide ducked into a stairwell on their left and continued up to the second floor, David trudging up after him. Down the hallway again they went, passing numerous doors with simple brass plates displaying the room number as they went. David kept his eye on the right hand side where the even numbers were, counting down as the hallway came to an end. 16A, 18A, 20A… "What the hell?" David choked out, eyes wide.

The door they stopped in front of was visibly different from every other door in the hallway. Mostly because in the place of a sedate brass number, a gag license plate had been hung, boldly displaying and image of two pigs in a mud hole, caught in the act of mating. The caption in bright yellow at the bottom cheerily proclaimed "Fucking Pigs!" which David supposed summed the whole thing up quite nicely.

"Got yourself a roommate like the rest of us. Interesting guy this one, if I do say so myself." David was suddenly gripped with a near mortal terror about what kind of a statement the sign may have been making about his roommate and the state of the room beyond when his companion's hand shot out, opening the door and flicking the light with a flourish, then completing the gesture by stepping back with an exaggerated sweep of his arm, indicating that David should enter.

Ok, so maybe the near-heart attack wasn't totally warranted. While the room was cluttered, it seemed to be contained to one side, and there wasn't anything that may have been left to form its own ecosystem. The room was actually pretty spacious; David thought as he stepped further in, dropping his bag on the obviously unoccupied bed. A double, he saw, and was pleasantly surprised. The sheets appeared to be high-count cotton, a deep chocolate brown. The walls were a pale cream, with mocha trim; the carpet a matching cream and very plush. At the foot of each bed were a solid oak dresser and matching desk, each with a laptop. David ran his fingertips over the machine; he could tell it was high quality just from the sleek lines of the case. "For homework?" Way to go David; he kicked himself mentally for stating the obvious.

"Mostly. Internet access is unmonitored though…" The other boy's smile was rife with suggestion and David felt the first teasing of a blush rising up again. Clearing his throat a little, he gamely mustered a small, brittle smile.  
"Well, thanks for the help!" David spoke with a forced brightness. "I'm just gunna take a few minutes to unpack, and I'm sure I'm keeping you from dinner. Maybe tomorrow…" David trailed off as his companion snorted and shrugged out of his jacket. Kicking the door closed with one foot, the scruffy boy tossed the jacket over the desk chair and proceeded to flop bonelessly onto the opposite bed, hands behind his head while toeing off the heavy boots. David watched the boots thump to the floor; the uneasiness he'd been feeling since leaving his old home cementing into a hard brick in his stomach. The boy on the bed didn't seem to notice at all, shifting slightly for maximum comfort.

Clarity, David decided, was a righteous bitch.

"You're my roommate, aren't you?" David's tone was flat and resigned. The pirate smile came back in full force.

"Right you are. First clue was? And don't expect me to go traipsing off to the cafeteria either. Could never stomach the swill they call pizza. Cardboard crust and toppings that manage to hide behind what little cheese they put on… Way I see it pizza should have about three inches of meat and enough cheese for a heart attack on the spot. Oh, and more basil in the sauce, definitely." A solemn nod concluded the rant and David wondered how it was that in twenty minutes of association, it was bad pizza that had garnered whole sentences instead of awkward silence.

"Right, well then. Don't mind me…" With that David turned to the dresser and began to fill drawers from his duffle. All in all he had about a week's worth of jeans, t-shirts, boxers and socks. A second hoodie was hung next to his lone dress shirt and slacks in the little closet beside the dresser, the handful of books and CDs David had grabbed were stacked neatly on one edge of the desk and Millie's snow globe took up the place of honor on the tiny shared bedside table. Unpacking complete, David dumped the empty duffle onto the closet floor. As he straitened and turned back, he saw that his roommate had sat up and was playing with the snow globe, turning it this way and that in eager hands. Two steps had him across the room and snatching the glass ornament back. "Don't touch that!" David snarled, sharper than he intended. He then lovingly set the snow globe back down before risking a glance at the other boy, who was giving him a level, assessing gaze in return. David flushed for a third time, feeling a little bad for lashing out. It's not like he'd known after all, and he had been pretty decent so far, if a little strange. "Sorry, it's… kinda personal…" He said after a moment, figuring an apology wasn't remiss. The strange boy nodded his acceptance after a brief pause and flopped back into his earlier reclined position. David took a seat on his own bed, scooting back to the wall and drawing his knees up to his chest. He took another minute looking around the room, searching for any new details before turning his attention back to his roommate. "Photocopying your ass? Isn't that like, something out of a bad TV sitcom?" He asked, again kicking himself for sounding like such a tool.

"For my resume, it's definitely my best feature. I'll be infinitely more hireable, just watch." The reply was airy and matter of fact. Silence fell again, and David killed another minute or so picking at his nails before the discomfort of the moment drew him into speaking again.

"So… you have a name?" Dear god, was David doomed to sound like a moron for his entire stay here? At least the boy looked amused at his social ineptitude.

"It's Griffin, mate." A sidelong glance and the return of that little grin accompanied the statement. David was positive by the time his sentence...ahem, education was done here, he'd be so sick of that grin it wouldn't be funny. Still, he forced another fake half-smile before excusing himself to sleep. Pausing only long enough to kick off his shoes, he crawled under the covers fully clothed; facing the wall and settled himself down in hopes of numbness and forgetting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty!"

Warm golden sun was pouring in the window, setting the room aglow. Having slept uneasy due to nightmares, David was in no mood to see it; grunting at the disembodied voice and snuggling back down with full intent to return to hibernation. A sharp jab at his ribs and the near-violent removal of his covers managed to fully rouse him. David sat up blearily, barely focusing on Griffin standing before him; his quilt still in hand.

"Up and at em' if you want breakfast. Half decent eggs here, but the bacon not so much. Haven't managed to ruin the cereal yet, but I'll bet they could if they tried." With that, Griffin dropped David's quilt to the ground and strode out, leaving the door wide open. David rubbed at his face irritably and ousted himself from bed, half-heartedly tossing the quilt back on the mattress before grabbing his toothbrush and making for the bathroom. It wasn't hard to find, being the most crowded place on the floor. Ten minutes later, David was marginally more awake and discreetly following a small group of students about his age to the Cafeteria, still in yesterday's clothes. Once there, he joined the lineup to be served with eyes slowing roving over the Conservatory in which the cafeteria was located, taking in the scattered tables, lush gardens and small goldfish pond. It was only the cafeteria lady snapping her fingers at him that brought him back, and he selected a bowl of Cheerios and a glass of orange juice for his meal. Carrying the blue tray carefully so as not to tip his glass or bowl, David made his way to a small table in what looked to be an out of the way corner. He'd barely sat down before Griffin was situating himself in the chair across the table, speedily peeling and segmenting a large grapefruit. David gaped at him for a moment, then shrugged and downed his juice before proceeding to tuck into his cereal. Might as well be on good terms with his roomie, he figured. It would probably make things easier down the road.

"Millie your girlfriend?"

David froze, the sounds of chatter fading out around him, world focus narrowing to the tousled head in front of him. He dropped his spoon into the bowl and pushed it away a little, suddenly not hungry.

"How…" David started before the word caught in his throat, forcing him to swallow heavily a couple of times. "How did you know that name?" David's entire body was tense, a black rage welling up inside of him. Heedless, Griffin plowed onward like a runaway train.

"You talk in your sleep, were moaning her name rather loudly. She pretty? Have a nice mouth? You can tell me." The shark grin was back with a vengeance and it was that more than anything that tipped the scales on David's anger. The world had gone red around the edges for a moment, all background noise fading like he was underwater. He was somehow on his feet now, and his hand, without any direction from his body, was scooping up the forgotten bowl of cheerios.  
And upending it.

Squarely on Griffin's head.

Letting go of the bowl seem to bring some sanity back to him as the red faded and a dawning horror moved in to take its place. The cafeteria had gone deadly silent, probably from the sound David's chair had made as it tipped onto the ground when he'd stood, he figured. All eyes were on David and Griffin, who was standing now too, plucking the bowl off his head. A mass of soggy Cheerios slid from Griffin's hair onto the floor with a plop. Milk had matted all of Griffin's wild hair down, and a single drop trembled on the end of a damp lock just in front of Griffin's left eye. It shook because Griffin was shaking, empty fist clenching and tic in his jaw, all coiled energy waiting to strike. He looked ridiculous, Cheerios still stuck in his hair and on his shirt and David had the sudden urge to laugh hysterically. Or apologize maybe. Or run like a goddamn bastard. He didn't get the chance to do any of the above because in a move almost too fast to see, Griffin's right hand, still holding the empty bowl, had lashed out and caught David right across the cheek in the mother of all bitch-slaps. David's head cracked to the side with force; then about a thousand pounds of exceedingly angry Griffin was on him, screaming obscenities and punching at him wildly. David's own rage returned full bore and he managed to roll them, pinning Griffin down by the shoulder and slugging away at his chest and face while Griffin swung back. David wasn't even sure how long it had gone on, or even how many blows either had actually connected when he was forcibly hauled off the other boy and frog marched out the door by a man large enough to be a football linebacker and had skin so black he seemed to be negative color. The fleeting memory of Mr. T crossed David's mind, but he crushed it and focused instead on his overwhelming sense of panic as he and Griffin were drug across the quad and into the main building, where they were deposited none too gently in a pair of chairs in "PRINCIPAL BROWN's" office and the door was closed with some finality behind them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

So apparently the Academy's idea of punishment for fighting with one's roommate was to confine both guilty parties to their shared room for the remainder of the day, with the order to "sort through their issues and be ready to learn tomorrow!" Well fat chance of that! After being escorted back to 22A by the same large man as before, both boys had separated to their own sides of the room, David on his bed and Griffin onto his laptop. A stony silence had descended. Two hours later it had only deepened, neither boy willing to admit defeat by being the first to speak. David glanced at Griffin from where he was sprawled on the soft mattress, taking in the lines of tension in Griffin's profile, and the split lip and bloody nose David had given him. The more time David spent in thought, the guiltier he felt about the fight. David was the outsider here, not Griffin. David was the late bloomer who was dumped into Griffin's life and into his space, with very little warning. David was the one in mourning, the one with the issues. So far, Griffin had been rather accommodating in his own bizarre way and David had repaid him by spazzing out over an innocent mistake in front of the entire school. Granted, Griffin had definitely given as good as he'd gotten; David's bruised jaw and blackening eye were proof of that, but David had started it. It'd be up to him then, to fix it. It took him a couple of false starts, opening and closing him mouth soundlessly, before the words would come.

"She's dead." The words seemed to echo. It was the first time David had said them out loud, and it tore at him fiercely. Griffin tensed even more if possible; pausing the game he'd been playing but not turning, still presenting David with most of his back and left side. David took that to mean he was at least listening and went on. "I'm sorry I freaked out, you couldn't have known… Millie was…was like a sister to me…"

"Did I ask you about your family?" Griffin's outburst cut David off mid-thought; the other boy twisting in his chair to make eye contact, angry snarl on his bruised features. Ignoring the pain in his jaw, David sat up sharply and sneered back.

"Yeah you did actually, when you asked me about my dreams! You want to hear how she died too? Cause I haven't forgotten! And while I'm stuck here in this shit-hole with you, her funeral is going on without me!" David sucked in great heaving breaths; his whole body quivering with something, anger or grief maybe. It was Griffin who broke the stalemate this time, cursing and turning abruptly back to his laptop, before whipping open one of the desk drawers and fishing through for a pair of battered headphones. Connecting them to the laptop, he threw on some music loud enough that David could hear it from across the room. Realizing that this round was over, David let himself fall back, hating himself for being such a pussy about the whole thing. Well screw Griffin! He'd tried to apologize and for what? Nothing! Of course, he'd kinda botched it up too, flying off the handle again. Christ, what the hell was wrong with him? He was never this mercurial, and never violent. That was his Dad's territory not his. That epiphany was like a shock of cold water over him. Oh God, he'd been an animal, striking out at someone else because he couldn't cope like a man… David felt lower than he had in his whole life. There must've been a way to smooth things over… The notes from Griffin's headphones suddenly took on a familiar tune and David was struck with inspiration. Sitting up again, he called Griffin's name, waving a hand in his direction until Griffin noticed and sat back a bit, moving the headphones to his neck.

"What now?" He scowled horribly at David, but David was undaunted.

"Is that Sunna you're listening to? 'Power Struggle' right?" Griffin's frown deepened marginally, furrowing his brows. David could almost see him visibly searching for a ruse, before he conceded to respond.

"Yeah, what of it?" David grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

"It's just, they're such a great band, and no one's ever heard of them, at least not where I'm from, and 'Power Struggle" is their best song! Well, 'I'm Not Trading' is a close second, but they only ever made that one album before they broke up. I guess it's just cool, that we have that in common…" David bit his lip and turned his eyes away, feeling every inch the idiot he was sure he looked like. Now Griffin was going to think he was some sort of bipolar wacko; shy and dorky one minute and a raging testosterone storm the next. The awkward silence lasted for another few seconds, just long enough for David to contemplate suicide with his bed sheets before Griffin snorted, a slight haughty look spreading over his face.

"All the good bands break up." His declaration was imperial, daring David to argue. David didn't; he could work with this.

"Of course they do! What about Stabbing Westward? 'The Thing I Hate' is practically my theme song!" Griffin seemed to perk up a little, shifting forward as he replied.

"And Skunk Anansie! Nobody sang like Skin did!" David nodded eagerly, rapidly losing himself to the conversation.

"Charlie Big Potato? I got chills first time I heard that song! And the Tea Party! I'd almost go gay for Jeff Martin's voice!" Griffin had a smile working at the corners of his mouth now, an actually real smile, not that little smirk he seemed so fond of. David was determined to see the whole thing, listening intently to the other boy's reply.

"Have you heard his solo stuff? S'poetry, that is!" Here David faltered slightly, but unwilling to lose his momentum he pressed forward.

"No I haven't… Don't suppose you could play some on your laptop for me? If you have it?"

"If I have it? I have all of the above and more my friend, just lie back and enjoy. Griffin spun to the computer, sifting through song files rapidly. David obeyed and laid back, smile stretching ear to ear.

"Hey Griffin?"

"Yeah?"

"Did we… just have a moment?"

Griffin paused for the briefest moment in the act of stuffing the headphones back into their drawer before hastily responding. "Nope, no of course not, nothing like that at all, I mean, I still have cereal in my hair and everything. Wanker."

"Right, didn't think so. Nothing like that could happen at all, it would mean we had things in common, which is totally crazy."

Griffin didn't reply after that, music now playing as he settled back into his game. The song was an acoustic one, heavy on the drums and full of Middle Eastern influences. It was sad, mournful. It was a song about death. David loved it. After that Griffin cycled into the Offspring's "Gone Away," then into Blackmore's Night's "Wish You Were Here" like he was David's private DJ. And if David thought about Millie the whole time and cried silent tears while listening, well, he suddenly doubted Griffin would be the one to say anything anyways.


	3. Interlude 1: Griffin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the day the new kid arrived, Griffin O'Conner was caught with his pants down.
> 
> Quite literally, in fact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this part; my Griffin muse demanded some face time.
> 
> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

On the day the new kid arrived, Griffin O'Conner was caught with his pants down.

Quite literally, in fact.

Griffin had never intended for that to happen. He'd been lurking in a corner of the quad when the boy had been brought in through the main gates. Griffin had scoffed mentally at that. The escorts could've jumped him right to the main office and spared all newbie's the shame of being paraded like meat, but the staff preferred to dazzle the new students with their shiny facility. Instill the shock and awe early on, Griffin supposed. Sad thing was: it usually worked. Not with this one though, Griffin noticed. This boy kept his hood up, head down, absorbing the bare minimum a new environment required for survival. The boy was much, much older than the usual new kids, who all trickled in shortly after their fifth birthday. Occasionally you'd see slightly older children, usually from more remote areas of the globe that hadn't heard about the Academy, or even Jumpers period until the Paladin's tracked them down and brought them in. But this boy was nearly Griffin's age; either a very late bloomer, or someone was covering for him. Seized by a sudden curiosity, Griffin vowed to dig up more information on the other boy's circumstances. Resolved, he'd grabbed his bag and cut through the main building on his way back to the dorm.

It was pure chance that had Griffin discovering the unlocked copy room and being the charming anarchist he was; he could hardly pass up such a ripe opportunity for mayhem. It was pure serendipity that the person who caught him in the act was the new kid. It was the surprise that had Griffin snapping. Most people would assume that Griffin was antisocial; Griffin would disagree. It wasn't that he didn't like people, he just had a low bullshit tolerance and a high school, even one as prestigious as the Academy, full of people who pissed him off. Never mind the fact that he hated the place and everything it stood for anyway… Well, Griffin was digressing. What he really wanted was to know who this boy was. Know your enemy, after all, and this boy like all others before him would hate Griffin in the end. Throw up enough walls, make enough scathing comments, and eventually everyone would leave you alone. Griffin functioned best alone.

He was impressed by the bit of spine the boy had shown during his introduction. Sticking on his best scary grin, Griffin "greeted" the new arrival, determined to make him squirm. Most people cracked like an egg when a little pressure was applied, and Griffin was well-practiced at being that pressure. Sure enough, the boy shifted and began to babble with nerves. Any minute now the boy would be running for the hills…or shoving his dorm assignment into Griffin's face and requesting help. Griffin snatched it with every intent of telling the boy to shove off when he caught site of a familiar room number. Oh, this was rich! Griffin knew from experience that the only way to get rid of an unwanted roommate was to make them beg for a new assignment, as all of Griffin's own pleas fell on deaf ears. He knew the staff kept hoping he'd choose to socialize more if they kept throwing people into his path, but Griffin would have no part of it. This boy would feel Griffin's wrath, and maybe Griffin could shake his curiosity in the process.

Griffin set a brisk pace to their shared dorm, trying to keep the other boy off balance. It seemed to be working, judging from the reaction to the plate on the door. The boy's thunderstruck look when he figured out that his "interesting" roommate was Griffin was pretty memorable, too. No matter how much Griffin tried to bait the other boy in the minutes that followed, he didn't seem to be looking to fight, except maybe over the snow globe, but that seemed too easy. Griffin wanted to test his reactions, to feel him out. He wanted to know this boy and what made him different from the other mindless peons that roamed the halls here, giggling vapidly. When he failed to provoke a major reaction before this "David" fell asleep, he vowed he'd bring out the big guns the next day.

Major reaction indeed! Griffin had known mentioning the girl's name would cause a stir but he hadn't expected the cereal bath. Nor had he expected the boy to hold his own. Griffin's rage was legendary and he'd bashed in the faces of more than one person who'd wronged him in the past, but this David seemed to be driven by the same demons. Unceremoniously dumped into their dorm after the fact, Griffin set about a ten-year sulk, booting up a game on his laptop and steadfastly ignoring his companion.

Who was this boy? First he's shy and complacent, and then he becomes a raging animal, now he's apologizing? Griffin's earlier desire to know more about the boy had been doused by his rage, but when the boy lashed out again verbally, Griffin found himself withdrawing even further, going so far as to put on headphones and pretending the other boy didn't exist. Guilt had nothing to do with it, really. Griffin had never felt guilty about the way he treated people, even people who'd just lost someone close to them. Everyone had a sob story. Life sucked, buy a helmet! But the boy was still trying to reach out to him, offering an olive branch in the form of a common interest.

Griffin wasn't going to take it. Really he wasn't.

Okay, he had. Maybe, just maybe this gentle, vicious, quiet, fiery boy wasn't quite the same as the others before him. Maybe he was worth being just a little vulnerable for.

And maybe pigs would fly out of his ass, but Griffin never backed down from a challenge. Not ever.


	4. Every Day is the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rude awakenings, scary David and lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

David slept through the first low strains of guitar. At least until the riff kicked into high gear and the bass and drums joined in. Jerking wide awake and tumbling out of bed to sit dazed on the floor, David noticed two things straightaway. Firstly, the music was coming from Griffin's laptop and was of a volume usually reserved for movie theater sound tests. The second was Griffin's giant shit-eating grin.

"SOMEBODY BETTER GIVE ME A STING!"

"GRIFFIN! GRIFFIN, WHAT THE FUCK?" David's futile attempts to shout over the music only seemed to inspire even more amusement in his sadistic roommate.

"SOMEBODY BETTER MAKE ME BLEED!"

"A lovely morrow to you, sweetheart!" Griffin tossed one of David's hoodies and a pair of jeans at him before throwing open the door and waltzing out of the room.

"FILL THIS VACANCY UNDERNEATH MY SKIN!"

David squeaked as he realized that he was sitting on the floor, tangled in his sheet in nothing but his boxers while the ridiculously loud music drew stares from more than a few dorm mates.

"CAUSE I'M FIGHTING WITH A THORN IN MY SIDE!"

Scrambling to his feet, David lunged for the door…

"I NEVER MEANT TO FALL THIS FAR!"

…and succeeded in slamming it shut before any of the no-good busybodies could get too good of a look at him half-naked. He took a second to gasp in a heavy breath of air, veins still flooded with adrenaline from his original shock. A second later, his gaze fell on the wailing laptop.

"I HAVE GROWN THE SOUL OF THE ENE-"

The sudden silence seemed almost anti-climatic and empty. David rubbed a hand over his face, scrubbing at his eyes and hissing as his fingers met the swollen skin. He'd actually almost forgotten about the fight the previous day, but the new throbbing in his black eye would ensure that he didn't. Stumbling to the clothes Griffin had tossed him, currently laying abandoned on the floor. David yanked them on, stuffing his class schedule into his pocket and gathering his bag. Jerking the door open again and, blushing lightly, David did his best to ignore the appraising stares and raised eyebrows. After finishing in the bathroom, he trudged down to the cafeteria following the same path as the day before. The wait in line was short and David once again grabbed his favorite, Orange juice and Cheerios, then made his way to the tables. Every person in the cafeteria was following his every move with failed subtlety, conversation hushing to whispers as he passed. Probably trying to judge whether or not he was going to go postal and baptize another classmate with his breakfast, David figured. He involuntary found his eyes straying to the corner where he'd sat yesterday, only to almost drop his tray in surprise. Sitting at the same table in the same seat was Griffin, the boy calmly absorbed in peeling a large grapefruit. David blinked once, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu and altering his intended path to take the seat across from Griffin. David's roommate looked up, making eye contact briefly, and then jerked his chin at David's breakfast.

"Is that going over my head today?" David figured it was fair question, and feeling a little of yesterday's guilt creep up, he answered honestly.

"No, I'm too damn hungry today to waste the food." Griffin nodded sagely, settling back in his chair and stuffing a grapefruit segment into his mouth. They both chewed thoughtfully for a few moments in silence, quietly finishing their meals. Griffin gathered the bits of peel together into a neat pile, but made no attempt to leave the table, instead watching David's hands as David finished the last bit of cereal, drinking down the remaining milk straight from the bowl and putting his empty dishes back on the tray. On an impulse, he reached across the small table, scooping up the grapefruit peel and dumping that too onto the tray to be taken to the garbage. Griffin looked vaguely surprised at the gesture and David shifted slightly under the scrutiny. This seemed to make Griffin aware of his stare and he coughed slightly, letting his eyes come down to rest on the tray of dirty dishes. Another second of silence passed until Griffin spoke.

"More's the pity really. Milk baths are good for the hair. Feel how soft this is today after I washed the mush out." Griffin had been twisting the fingers of his right hand in his hair while speaking to emphasize his point. Their eyes met again and held for a heartbeat, and then Griffin slowly leaned forward, placing both hands palm-down on the tabletop, like a peace offering. See David, he seemed to be saying, nothing to fear here. David's eyes drifted from Griffin's hands back to his face. There was intensity in Griffin's eyes and face that David had never seen before. Or maybe just never seen focused solely on him, David couldn't say for sure. It was new though and it made David swallow thickly. David wasn't used to this, whatever this thing was that was between them. He knew it wasn't hate, but it couldn't have been any sort of liking for each other either. Maybe a camaraderie of sorts; the bond formed of two people in an otherwise untenable situation? Whatever it was, Griffin was offering him a test, and David knew that failure now would kill whatever this fragile trust was becoming. Steeling himself, David leaned forward and let his fingers toy briefly with the same lock of hair Griffin's own had just held. The tawny hair was incredibly soft, and while David had no way of knowing if it was indeed the milk as Griffin claimed or whether the other boy just had naturally enviable hair, he offered Griffin a small smile anyway.

"Like a girls really. Quite miraculous." For a split second David was afraid that his lightly teasing tone would be taken in offense, but Griffin offered the same small smile in return; a look so brilliant that his still-puffy lip didn't even dim it. The first warning bell chimed overhead, and all the students that had been gawking and gossiping at the pair slowly roused themselves and made for homeroom; yet the boys held a minute longer, still grinning stupidly at each other before Griffin blinked and cleared his throat slightly. David blinked too, feeling the abrupt ending of the moment settle over him with mild disappointment.

"Right then" Griffin rose smoothly to his feet and took the tray. David stood and trailed after him, pausing as Griffin disposed of the peel in the garbage and returned the tray and dishes to the cafeteria ladies. Just outside the conservatory doors, Griffin stopped again. David hadn't been aware of how close he was on the other boy's heels until he almost ran into him. Griffin barely seemed to notice though, instead demanding to see David's schedule. Excavating the crumpled paper from the shadowy depths of his pocket, David handed it over. While Griffin chewed his lip and scrutinized it, brow furrowed adorably, David took a moment to scrutinize him, taking in the mole on his jaw, the soft sideburns and stubble of a boy who probably never bothers to shave, and of course, the messy hair that may have never seen a hairbrush. David supposed that may have been a perfect metaphor for Griffin altogether; scruffy and wild, but somehow softer than he looked. David could have continued to philosophize on the enigma of his roommate all day if Griffin hadn't have grabbed his elbow and steered him across the quad into the main building and down a hallway he hadn't yet been down. It was that moment, Griffin's hand still on his elbow, watching Griffin's thin (perfect?) lips as he listened with half an ear to the directions he was being given from class to class that David knew he had been forgiven. A second later they stopped outside an open door and Griffin turned to face him; David's attention snapping fully back into place.

"…and we can meet at our table for lunch, cool?" David agreed and the two boys parted ways. David heading for the open classroom door and Griffin down the hallway. Pausing at the last second before crossing the threshold, David turned back and met Griffin's eyes one more time, the other boy walking backwards towards his own class. The corner of Griffin's lips came up the barest amount and David felt the full force of a happy smile that seemed to please Griffin, then he continued through the doorway and found a seat. Taking out a large binder full of blank loose-leaf and settling down to listen, David savored the strange, giddy feeling of anticipation that bubbled inside him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The moment the teacher stepped out of the classroom leaving them to work silently, the interrogation started.

"You're the new kid, David something, right?"

David glanced up at the speaker. The girl in the desk in front of him had twisted around, one strand of brunette hair wound around her finger. She seemed almost too interested in what he was going to say. David also noticed that the whole classroom of three other people was listening with rapt attention. Dropping his pencil to the desktop, David sat back in his seat and braced himself for the onslaught of stupid.

"Um yeah, the teacher kind of introduced me twenty minutes ago?" His tone was a touch more scathing then it would usually be, but after two days here and not a word or a smile or a friendly hand from anybody other than Griffin, David has already hit his bullshit quota. The ingratiating smile on her face hadn't slipped passed him, nor was everyone else's obvious interest. David was under a microscope, and truth be told had been since he walked in and he wanted it to stop! The girl's fake smile wilted a little under David's heavy stare but she plowed ahead. Either very dumb or very determined, David decided.

"Well yeah, ok. But what are you doing with that freak kid? Y'know he's tried to run away, like, a gazillion times? I heard once he knifed one of the guys that went after him. He's like, psychopathic or something. Real trouble. You're stuck in the same room as him, right? You should totally tell the teachers he tried to smother you in your sleep or something. They'd believe you and have you move in with someone normal. I mean, the guy is a nut job, totally dangerous, I'm surprised he didn't kill you dead yesterday in front of everybody…"

The girl seemed to become more self satisfied as she continued to defame Griffin's character. Alright, David thought, Griffin's character was probably dubious to begin with, but how dare she! Griffin was the only kind, sane face in David's world-gone-mad. Not like the rest of these harpies and vultures, sitting there with their prim looks and sneering faces and making demands of him when they didn't know a fucking thing! Griffin at least understood! David's dark anger was probably making itself known because the girl slowly trailed off mid-sentence, eyes widening in surprise and… fear? David took momentary stock of himself and realized that with his black eye and darkly bruised jaw, the vicious sneer on his face must have look positively lethal. Admittedly, David felt fairly lethal at that point. The uncharacteristic rage of the day before only being held at bay by the fact that it was a girl he was mad at, and perhaps the lack of any convenient cereal bowls nearby for dumping. His hands twitched under the desk regardless, and he lifted them and slammed them palm-down in a mockery of the gesture Griffin had made earlier; the sharp crack echoing in the quiet room, causing the girl in front of him and couple others in his peripheral vision to flinch. This gesture was far from the conciliatory one Griffin's had been, oh no, this one was an obvious play for control, his visible attempt to cage the tiger before it got out of hand. Not a person in the room missed it either. It was only after another silent moment that David deemed himself restrained enough to speak.

"You… are a stupid bitch. I have nothing to say to any of you." His piece said, David held his pose for a minute longer, ratcheting up the tension in the room to almost unbearable levels. Then with a casual shrug he released the anger, letting it flow away from him. Collecting his pencil from the floor where it had rolled to after his dramatic desk-slap, he calmly continued reading from his new textbook and filling in the accompanying worksheet. Slowly all the other students followed his lead, uneasily drifting back to their work. David's hands were shaking slightly from the receding adrenaline. He was a little baffled at his behavior, as he'd honestly never been so quick to anger before. Actually, he'd mostly been a doormat, the kind of kid bullies loved because he never retaliated. David realized it probably had something to do with Millie's death, remembering Mark's laugh as he'd thrown the snow globe… Whatever. David was done being the downtrodden chump he'd always been.

When the teacher returned a few minutes later, it was almost impossible to tell that anything had happened at all. Except when the bell rang, the other students bolted like David was going to gobble them up if they lingered. David took his time gathering his things and sauntering to his class in the next hall over. He knew by dinner the story would be all over the school, and that was fine by him. This place was hell, and right now only the weird thing he had with Griffin really seemed to matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Griffin had beaten him to the cafeteria at lunchtime and was waiting in line, almost ready to be served. When he spotted David he waved him over and David complied, insinuating himself into the line behind Griffin. The guy he'd cut in front of grimaced but didn't say anything. David wondered if it was Griffin's established reputation or his own rapidly-forming one that silenced him. Putting the thought from his head, David instead greeted his… friend? And they proceeded to make small talk about the lunch specials. Griffin grabbed a sandwich, and David decided to risk the Mac n' Cheese despite Griffin's attempts to talk him out of it. They settled into what was now dubbed "their table" and tucked in. Well, David tucked in. Griffin just sat there, elbows on the table and chin propped up on his hands, awaiting the verdict. David shrugged mentally and shoveled a large forkful into his mouth. A second later he spit it back into the bowl, jumping up to dump the atrocity into the garbage can and to stack his dishes in the bin. Returning to the table, it was impossible to not notice the amused grin on Griffin's face. The older boy was unwrapping his sandwich and almost cackling under his breath. David rolled his eyes as he plopped into his chair.

"Yeah yeah yeah, you were right, all hail to the cafeteria food guru." David's tone held no real heat though, and Griffin knew it. Sending David a wink, Griffin offered him half of his own lunch. The roast beef sandwich seemed to be prepared just the way David liked them, with lots of meat and cheese and a touch of mustard. David's mouth watered looking at it.

"You'll be hungry later." David's feeble protest was ignored and the half-sandwich was waved in his face until he caved and snatched it, taking a large bite with great gusto. Letting out a satisfied groan he eased back, half slumped in near ecstasy.

"Best. Sandwich. EVER!" He declared, aware that Griffin was laughing at him again. Both boys quickly finished their meals and cleared their table before leaving the cafeteria. Despite being December in New Zealand, the air was summertime warm and the pair quickly found a spot off to the side to sit together and bask until the bell rang. The moment they sat down, David knew that Griffin wanted to say something, probably about an uncomfortable topic, as he seemed somewhat tense. He sat silently and sure enough after a couple of minutes, his patience was rewarded.

"I'm surprised they didn't try to warn you off me, 'm not well liked around here. My own fault mostly. I don't like people, and you're far from the first person to get the wrong end of my fists over it." David was surprised Griffin hadn't caught wind of the incident in first class yet.

"They did" He informed the other boy, observing from the corner of his eye how the boy tensed even further before replying.

"And you still lunched with me? That's social suicide there son. You'll never make friends now, yeah?" The revelation that Griffin was probably feeling awkward and afraid of rejection surprised David, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Griffin had reached out to him; for whatever reason he'd seen something in David that was worth knowing, and had taken steps. If Griffin was indeed the social pariah he seemed to be, then this whole whatever-it-was between them would be… monumental. David was unexpectedly humbled by the realization that Griffin needed the reassurance that his tenuous advances were welcomed. Last thing David wanted was to strike at the tender underbelly that Griffin had shown him, even unknowingly. Playing it as casual as he could, David gave a one-shouldered shrug and leaned back against the wall they were sitting by.

"Those cretins couldn't find their own asses with both hands and a flashlight. Besides, we know the secret all these teachers and staff are trying to keep from us." David's response seemed to both relax and intrigue Griffin, perhaps more than it should have for he leaned forward almost urgently.

"What secret David?" Whatever had gotten the other boy so riled was beyond David, so he went ahead with his planned reply, hoping it wouldn't get him punched again. His eye still really hurt, dammit!

"Why, the fact that they spent all this money on a fancy campus, yet can't hire a kitchen staff capable of cooking Mac n' Cheese that doesn't actually taste like runny snot, of course." The joke seemed to fall flat for a second, then Griffin's serious look disappeared and he burst out laughing at the top of his lungs. Students scattered around the quad stared as Griffin slumped sideways onto David's right shoulder, pinning that arm to David's side. David shrugged the shoulder a little, feeling slightly self-conscious, but only succeeded in having Griffin slide down further onto his chest. The boy was still trapped in giggle-fit, great heaving guffaws rocking his whole body and David recognized it as a release of tension. He smiled and tipped his head back against the wall, waiting for the boy who was half in his lap to finish. When Griffin's left hand found David's right in the squashed confines between their bodies and intertwined their fingers; David knew that he'd made the right choice. Everything he needed right now was here.


	5. Griffin's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocks, confessions and Christmas gifts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

Over the last two weeks, the days had fallen into a comfortable routine for the boys of 22A. David, who was so not a morning person, would be rudely awakened by whatever loud obnoxious music Griffin felt like that morning; whereupon Griffin would toss the days outfit in his face and leave David alone to close the door, kill the music, and change. The first time, David had been mortified at having to climb out of bed and close the door wearing nothing but boxers. Now it was second nature, and in an all-boys dorm with communal showers, who really cared anyways? The other students didn't even bother glancing at their room anymore; the whole floor desensitized to the morning spectacle. In fact, the whole thing was so normal now that David didn't even bother questioning why he always put on whatever outfit Griffin threw at him that morning. It didn't seem overly strange to him to essentially allow his new friend to dress him. Not like David had more than a couple outfits to choose from anyway. He wondered if there was some sort of a fund for broke students in need of new jeans and underwear...

After dressing, David would wash up in the dorm bathroom and then wander down to the Cafeteria for breakfast. Griffin had been right: the eggs were decent, the bacon dry as dust, and the less said about the pancakes, the better. David usually opted for Cheerios and OJ, and then he'd join Griffin at their table. The small corner table was now buffered by a large "no-go" zone, as most of the other students figured it was best to give the crazy kids a wide berth. Griffin had already been mostly avoided due to his previous reputation, but between David holding his own in their short fight and his own behavior in his first class ever; he'd apparently been ranked just as bat-shit-loco as his friend. David felt oddly proud of the accomplishment, having spent most of his life as a human punching bag for one person or another, it was nice to be respected even if that respect was born out of fear. Nicer still to have not had to resort to violent or cruel tactics to have earned it. Who knew that befriending the scariest guy in the joint would prove so beneficial? Ignoring the obvious prison joke, David figured he was just lucky that Griffin was so totally awesome to boot. They just seemed to work together, fitting into each other's spaces as naturally as breathing, after the first few awkward missteps of course. In fact they'd almost come to blows a few days back when David had asked Griffin if he'd been going to see his family for Christmas. Griffin had reigned in his temper at the last minute, seemingly realizing that David had meant nothing by it but an honest inquiry; and a mumbled "haven't got any left" had answered enough of David's questions that he wisely let it go.

Today though, was meant to be promising. After breakfast, all the students leaving for the holidays were being sent off home, and for the next two weeks only a small handful of students and staff would remain. David and Griffin had already started making tentative plans for their break involving plenty of music, oversleeping, and walks about the grounds. David had yet to see the full extent of the land the academy was located on, and Griffin had vowed to correct that by taking him to all the neat little places he'd found over the years. David could hardly wait. The prospect of two whole, uninterrupted weeks with his new best friend was thrilling, even though he was still uncertain, what, if anything, he should give the other boy for Christmas…

David set that thought aside as he passed his half-finished bowl of Cheerios to Griffin; the other boy completing the trade by handing over half his grapefruit. David finished the segments quickly and pushed the last couple swallows of orange juice in Griffin's direction, suppressing a grin at the sight of the other boy slurping the last of the cereal directly from the bowl. As soon as he'd finished and set the bowl down, David was scooping the peel into the empty bowl and standing, Griffin grabbing the glass and downing the juice on their way to return their dishes. Griffin took a moment on their way out the door to con a couple of the cafeteria's marvelous sandwiches, two apples and a large bottle of ice tea from the scowling lunch lady. Stuffing them into his otherwise empty backpack, Griffin set off, leading the way back across the quad and then down the embankment behind the girl's dorms towards the small pond Griffin had promised to take David to. Today's plan was to sit by the pond and enjoy the fact that being in the southern hemisphere meant green, sunny Christmastimes. The sun was bright and warm; the air sweet with a little bit of a cool breeze. Griffin was walking in front of him, all ruffled hair and manly swagger. David was so excited he could burst! Not that he'd admit to it, or anything. He'd lose major man-points for it, and that was completely unacceptable.

He still was resisting the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet as he followed Griffin through a break in the foliage and stepped into a small clearing, in the middle of which was a charming little pond complete with reeds, grass, and a nice-sized rock perfect for sitting on. Now, David did bounce, right over to the rock and perching on top, kicking his feet a little in a childish glee, causing Griffin to laugh at him before he leaned the backpack against the rock and began to shift around the loose stones by the water's edge, obviously picking out the best stones for skipping. David just watched silently, enjoying the sunshine and the moment, taking in everything as far as all his senses would allow. Griffin seemed to have found a nice little pile of rocks and had begun skipping them, an activity he either had natural talent for or was well practiced at, some of the stones skipping seven or eight times across nearly the entire length of the pond.

"I once got one the whole way 'cross. Got to go 'round and pick it up on the other side. It was pretty cool I thought." David almost startled at the sound of Griffin's voice, realizing belatedly that other than Griffin's usual morning greeting, this was the first time either had spoken to each other today. Until now, David hadn't even noticed, and he was sure it spoke volumes about their comfort level around each other that words were barely even needed anymore.

"Neat. Think you could do it again for me?" David's grin seemed to be infectious and Griffin renewed his tossing with more vigor. David watched for another few moments in silence then hopped off his perch, selecting a smooth flat rock carefully from Griffin's pile and giving it a good, hearty throw. The rock skipped once with a larger than usual splash before profoundly sinking. Glancing at Griffin from the corner of his eye, David noticed that the other boy had a hand over his mouth, holding back a chuckle. Feeling a little embarrassed, David immediately snatched another rock and tried again. This one was even worse, no doubt, because David's throw was rushed in his agitation. The heavy splash swallowed the stone without a single skip, and David's cheeks flamed red. Griffin seemed to take pity on him then, picking up a stone for each of them and moving to stand right next to and slightly behind David, which put his mouth even with David's left ear. It was the closest they'd been physically since the fight, and David tried not to tense, acutely aware of Griffin's hand on his arm and the warm breath against David's cheek as Griffin adjusted his stance; murmuring quiet instructions for maximum skipping proficiency. After the brief instruction, Griffin stepped back and David took a moment to focus on everything he'd been told before letting the rock fly. This throw did much better, skipping three times before sinking.

David's smile must have been brilliant, being so wide that it made his cheeks hurt. Griffin's matching smile was too and David nearly reeled for a second at the sight of it, suddenly full of the knowledge that David was the only person on earth that saw this side of his friend. The Griffin presented to the world was that of a snarky, bitter, anarchistic, and violent little bastard; a shell David knew, to keep out all the people Griffin deemed unworthy of his attention. David also knew that in the half a dozen or so years since Griffin had come to the Academy, David was the only person Griffin had connected with. David was the only person the teen had ever let in. While David had yet to figure out why exactly he'd been chosen, he knew it was far more than simply flattery that drew him to the slightly older boy. It was most likely a combination of a million things. From the way his hair curled just a little at the back of his neck or temples and was spun through with a million gleaming little highlights, or maybe the sharp hazel of his eyes that seemed almost black whenever his emotions ran high, which was often. That must definitely be part of it too; the great passion Griffin was capable of. Most people only ever saw his anger and irritation, but Griffin felt nothing in halves. The glimpses of joy, excitement and grief David had been witness too were magnificent; the kind of thing that scooped you up and swept you along in the tide. Standing here now with the glorious, amazing man next to him, David felt beyond privileged to pay witness all the wonderful, delicate parts of him that no one else saw. David swallowed a sudden lump in his throat and reached for another rock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

After breaking from throwing stones for lunch, the boys found themselves discussing a little bit on anything and everything from pondering on the true nature of the horrible cafeteria food, to poking fun at the stone-age industrial revolution video the humanities teacher showed every year, to a serious debate on the physics of jumping, trying to calculate how much focused will and concentration it would take to jump something as large as a bus. Provided of course it was possible. A rumor had circulated the school recently about a rogue jumper that had been caught and tried to escape by jumping a whole building, a feat that he'd failed and had died attempting.

"Heard he managed to shake it a little," Griffin said, enjoying David's morbid fascination.

"But a rogue Jumper? Seriously Griffin, how is that possible? Can a person really dodge the Paladins for that long without being caught in the first place? Or is there some way to escape once you've been saddled with this?" David was fingering the inhibitor bracelet. Griffin was really in his element now, holding court over his friend as he explained further.

"Look, Paladins are religious nut jobs right? Consensus is that they hate and want to kill every Jumper on earth but can't cause the rest of the people like us to much. We're too convenient and too much of our economy is now based on our continued presence. So the international governments and the Paladin army struck an agreement back around the end of the Second World War that the Paladins had to leave us alone as long as we were good little Jumpers and fell in line. Those of us that ran, or fought back, were free targets for the Paladins rage. And they don't take prisoners, y'know. Anybody that gets in their way or can be used against a Jumper is just collateral damage to them." The shadows in Griffin's eyes were deep was he spoke this, and an uncomfortable sinking feeling settled in David's gut as a few random pieces he'd collected about Griffin's past began to fall into place. David watched raptly, searching Griffin's face for confirmation but Griffin wouldn't meet his eyes and just kept speaking instead.

"Some managed to run, and hide, going to ground somewhere and giving up jumping entirely to blend in with the rest of the world. My parents were like that…" Griffin's own admission seemed to startle him, and he clammed up for a moment, swallowing heavily a couple of times and clearing his throat before continuing. "Paladins are well-funded, well-connected, well-trained, and well-organized. They have weapons that can prevent jumping, allowances from all earth governments to track and contain Jumpers even across continents, and I've heard that they have the technology to follow a fleeing Jumper through his jumpscar. For most Jumpers a run-in with a team of Paladins is suicide. The handful of Jumpers that have managed to remove the bracelets and go on the lam are usually put down within a couple of years at most. Those that go to ground or are never properly identified at the get-go might get lucky for as long as a couple of decades provided they're not accidentally ousted somehow."

The whole time he'd been talking, David could tell that Griffin was building toward something big; some giant revelation that he'd been holding back before. Despite his heart kicking up in anticipation, David remained calm and impassive, carefully schooling his features blank to as not the threaten Griffin into stopping. After a moment of silence and a shaky breath Griffin continued.

"My parents…were rogue Jumpers. They met in the academy and managed to disappear right after graduation. This was before the inhibitors were as durable as they are now, and they managed to smash them with a little bit of effort. Between jumping only in emergencies, instead relying on regular transport and a pair of brand new ID's, they were able to shake the Paladins for several years. Long enough to have me, in fact. They might never have been caught if it wasn't for me turning out to be a Jumper too." At this, the look of naked guilt on Griffin's face was overwhelming. David reached for his friend's hand and took it securely, scooting a little closer. Griffin didn't look up but squeezed his hand a little in appreciation and continued.

"I was five my first jump and it was, unfortunately, a very public one. We packed up and ran, changing our names again and again. Running from place to place. We left Britain and came to America in fact, settling in California. The whole time they taught me everything they knew about jumping and Paladins in general, and how to avoid them and their weapons. I was home schooled to avoid exposure to the general public, but they encouraged me to take Karate classes for self-defense. I'm a black belt now, y'know." Griffin seemed momentarily proud of that, and David felt a stirring of pride for his friend and squeezed his hand in acknowledgement.

"We stayed on the run for years, until one night when I was nine. They caught up to us, posing as people from the home schooling district… I only barely escaped. My parents…" Griffin's voice broke, but David didn't need to hear the rest to know what had happened. He reached out automatically and slung and arm around Griffin's shoulders, pulling the boys face to David's collarbone. He could feel the tears soaking through his t-shirt, but although it took Griffin a moment to compose himself; he didn't stop.

"I bounced around a couple of times and wound up in Mexico of all places. Was taken in by a nice family there. I had a couple of good years with them, but I got complacent, jumped too often and got myself noticed. They didn't know what I was, didn't even know why the people in grey came for them." Griffin's body was shaking now; his voice thick with tears, but he was still talking and David held him tighter.

"Didn't escape that time. They brought me here. I was eleven. Rumors spread, y'know about why I was so old. The bigger kids were nasty about it, until I got nasty back. Broke some poor bastard's arm, which shut them up and made them all go away. I vowed I'd find a way to get this damn bracelet off and get away from here. Not just for the freedom, but for the payback. I'm going to take out every one of those Paladin bastards if it kills me, David. I'm not afraid to die, not if I'm free and fighting. No shame in going out with your boots on yeah?" The last sentence was said lightly, but the weight of Griffin's story hung on David. He pressed his face to Griffin's mussed hair, damping a few strands with the errant tears he'd shed for his friend, before he pressed his lips gently to Griffin's temple, laying on him a chaste kiss like a benediction. They stayed in silence then for a good long while until evening threatened and they were forced back to the dorms for curfew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The last couple of days had been somewhat awkward. Griffin was withdrawn and David couldn't tell if it was from the rehashing of old hurts today, or the admission of what was essentially treason against the UIJC and, therefore, every government in the world. The more time spent flopped on their respective beds in uncomfortable silence, the more David felt the need to share. Griffin had opened a vein two days ago and bled for him, and the sacrifice demanded a return as far as David was concerned. It was just so hard though, to speak of Millie when the wounds were so raw, and now here it was, Christmas Eve and neither could even muster the good cheer to exchange holiday greetings. Not to mention the fact that after the revelations a couple of days ago, David had totally forgotten about finding a gift for his new friend. Not that a gift, or lack thereof was probably the first thing on Griffin's mind right now, but it rankled David; combined with the openness from a couple of days ago, made him feel slightly desperate to return something, somehow. He had to have something to make the situation between them equal. Glancing over at the shared nightstand, specifically Millie's snow globe, David made a decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The next morning dawned grey and watery with almost torrential rain. David scoffed at the irony, then dressed and wandered to the cafeteria in search of Griffin. There had been no music this morning, just a gentle shake. Griffin had smudges beneath his eyes, like he hadn't slept. David wasn't surprised; he himself had only dozed off maybe an hour before. He was forced by the rain to run across the quad, and was still soaked by the time he arrived. Breakfast was a silent affair; both boys picking listlessly at their own meals, ignoring the bright festive decorations and cheery music that played above them. Returning to their room, Griffin booted his laptop and threw on some quiet music before toeing off his shoes, ditching his jacket, and kicking back on his bed with hands behind his head in his favorite thinking pose. David watched him for a moment, biting his lip and wracked with indecision, yesterday's resolve beginning to crumble. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he toed off his own shoes and stripped off his wet hoodie, then stepped towards Griffin's bed instead of laying on his own, like he usually would. The move drew Griffin's attention immediately, mostly for the strangeness of it, David would guess.

"Move over." David prompted, and after blinking in confusion at him a time or two, Griffin complied, shifting himself closer to the wall. Hesitantly, David climbed in next to him, while feeling the pickle of goose bumps forming across his bare chest and shoulders, skin still slightly damp from the rain. He reached down to the end of the bed and pulled the heavy comforter up from where Griffin had kicked it during the night, and drew it over himself up to his chin. He held out a corner in offering to Griffin, figuring it was only fair considering he was taking liberties with the other's bedcovering. Griffin accepted and rolled underneath. Both boys lay side by side; David's head on the pillow, hands clutching the covers under his chin, while next to him Griffin had propped himself up on one arm, quietly studying the boy in his bed. Before he could lose his nerve, David began to talk. He told Griffin about his mother leaving. He told Griffin about his father's drinking, about the beatings. He told Griffin about the kids at his old school, and they'd treated him. When he started talking about Millie, he choked up and had to wait a moment, feeling the tears wet the pillow under his head. He was nearly sobbing outright as he described the feeling of being terrified underwater, of the absolute cold, of being able to hear the muted shrieks of the students above, of reaching frantically for a girl that was nowhere to be found. He described the overnight trip to the hospital for minor hypothermia, the men who came to his house, the empty look on his father's face as he walked out the door the last time. By the time he was done, he felt somewhat scooped out and hollow. He wondered briefly if this was what catharsis felt like.

"I was serious that first day. I wasn't even permitted to attend her funeral. Not being able to say goodbye…" David trailed off, knowing Griffin would understand. In the space that followed, David leaned back and plucked the snow globe off the table behind him before offering it to Griffin. Griffin hesitated a second, then took it delicately, aware now of its great emotional significance. While he was absorbed in studying the lovely object, David mustered all his confidence for what came next.

"I bought that to make her happy, because it was pretty and I knew she'd love it. It was supposed to be special, to have meaning to us, y'know? Now it just reminds me of that day, and it wasn't mean for that Griffin. It was supposed to be cherished, not feared. That's why…that's why I want you to have it." David didn't have to wait more than half a second before Griffin's eyes snapped from the object to meets David's.

"Come again?" He demanded in a tone that implying he was looking less for a repeat and more for an explanation. David obliged.

"It was supposed to mean something right? Well Millie's gone forever; it means nothing to her now, and whenever I look at it, all I remember is that horrible day. I can't bear to throw it out, so if it's gunna live on our nightstand, I'd rather look at it and think of you. You're the only wonderful thing in this over-glorified prison, Griffin. You make me laugh, you make me smile. You're the first person other than her who ever noticed me as more than the weird kid in the corner. Griffin, you're beautiful and special and I… Just take it." David mouth clicked shut and his face burned bright red. "Merry Christmas," he mumbled, trying to hide his blush under the covers. Griffin turned the snow globe over carefully and righted it, watching the snow fly madly about the tiny rendition of Rome's famous Coliseum. Then his gaze shifted, staring past the snow globe to David directly, making the boy shrink a little further. Griffin's eyes were hot and dark, filled with something that crawled over David's skin and pinned him in place with heart suddenly pounding, breathe stuttering, and face flushing further. Slowly, Griffin leaned forward into David's space, reaching past him with one arm to return the globe to the nightstand. His face was so close to David that David's hair ruffled with Griffin's breath. The other boy drew back slowly, laying the hand that had been outstretched onto David's heated cheek. David's breath caught and held this time. He was dizzy, whether from lack of air or something more; he didn't know. He barely heard Griffin tell him that he hadn't gotten him anything in return, and couldn't even dream of responding; his lips parted to draw breathe but unable to move to speak. Griffin's black eyes were on him again, the full intensity of everything Griffin was bearing down onto him. He reached for Griffin to hold himself steady, one hand catching on his shirt at his chest while the other going over Griffin's body to cup a shoulder blade like the delicate arch of a wing. It was Griffin who drew his face to David's for that first kiss, but after that the forces that compelled them were inescapable; laws of gravity that demanded to be obeyed, over and over, touching and tasting in a cocoon of warmth while the rain fell in thick sheets outside. For a moment, the world turned her greedy eyes away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Afterward, when the rain had stopped and they'd relaxed into a drowsy half-sleep state, David shifted slightly, nuzzling further into Griffin's neck like a puppy, using the movement to bring himself close enough to whisper into his partner's ear.  
"When you find a way out of this place, I'm coming with you." Griffin didn't need to answer aloud; David could feel the line of his smile in every place where their bodies met.


	6. Interlude 2: What Griffin Gave David for Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the smut that occurred during the tasteful fade to black in the previous chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

When he'd first met David, Griffin had no intention of letting him get this close. Mostly because he let no one at all get close to him, holding up all his defenses in protection of the fragile pieces of himself underneath his armour. But David was like liquid, sliding in through all the cracks, and like the endless ocean he smoothed out the jagged edges he found. Now in his arms, David's face in Griffin's hands and their kiss going on and on; he could imagine David as a gentle tide. They way the boy surged and retreated in his arms with his warmth and clean smell, Griffin was positive he'd drown. Nothing on earth had ever been like this before, had ever felt so compulsive, so safe. This was perfect, even if their shared kisses were a little wet and sloppy with inexperience.

Griffin allowed himself to be coaxed onto his back, letting his head tip back and to the side to allow David to drop kisses down his jaw and throat, sighing as he mouthed at Griffin's collarbone. The loss of that sweet mouth almost drew a whimper, until he realized that David was shoving the blanket out of the way, shifting over Griffin to straddle his hips and push Griffin's shirt up. Taking the hint, Griffin sat up and helped his friend pull the t-shirt off. As soon as it had been tossed aside, Griffin was pulling cupping David's jaw and pulling him back for another kiss, other hand on David's ribs, thumb tracing slow circles on the soft skin, close to one nipple. The little noise David made in his throat made something in Griffin give way and he reached for David's hips, pulling the other boy more firmly onto his lap and sealing them together from lips to where their hungry erections had come into contact for the first time. Emboldened by David's moan and the hands clenching at his shoulders, Griffin used his grip to rock David's hips against his own; the friction even through both of their clothes was almost unbearable.

The sudden new sensations had David moaning and panting into the side of Griffin's neck. His blunt fingernails scraped down Griffin's back, struggling to find purchase. David was apparently a bit of a talker, the occasional phrase along the lines of "Please, more" and "fuckyeslikethat" along with "oh god Griffin" pouring from his lips, hot breath in Griffin's ear that seemed to feed the fire that was taking over. It took all the willpower he had left to draw back, breaking their crude rhythm and taking a shaky breath.

"We're not stopping now?" David's flat annoyed tone was more a demand than a question, but Griffin felt compelled to answer it as one anyways.

"Not even close." Face flushed and eyes bright, David was the loveliest thing on earth to Griffin, and Griffin wished he could extend this indefinitely, trap them forever here in a warm, cozy place where only they belonged. Realizing he was staring, he brought a hand to the button on David's jeans, fumbling it open and the zipper down, freeing David's trapped cock and making the other boy keen softly and press his face deeper into Griffin's shoulder. Griffin stroked his friend a time or two, getting a feel for the shape and size of him, already slightly slick from pre-come. David keened again and rolled his hips forward a little, causing Griffin to pull his hand back before this could end prematurely. David keened again at the loss but Griffin shushed him lightly and worked his own pants open, drawing his own erection out and taking a moment to compare the two, noting the slight differences between them. Spitting on his hand to provide a little extra lubrication, he shifted David on his lap again, bringing them as close as possible to one another so he could take both hard cocks in one hand.

David let out a loud wail at the first touch and Griffin was suddenly ridiculously grateful for the empty room next to them. He started slowly, letting them both get used to the feel of each other, and to give the heat pooling in his stomach a little time to settle. He really did want this to last as long as possible. Letting the pace increase little by little, Griffin found himself making little gasping noises every time their hips rocked together on the down stroke of his hand. David cursed a little against the skin of his shoulder, then dropped one of his own hands to tease the sensitive heads of both boy's shafts where they rested next to each other. Griffin felt David's name tear itself involuntarily from his throat like a warning, and the motions of his hand sped up again, working furiously.

"Is that good, Davy? Do I make you feel good?" Griffin murmured between pants. They were both too close now to worry about holding back and Griffin had every intention of making their first time monumental for both of them. Dipping his head to David's neck, he licked and sucked little hickeys into the soft skin there, from ear to shoulder to collarbone and back; everything he could reach. David's fingertips dug deeper into the muscles of his back, keeping their chests pinned together and leaving little black bruises, no doubt. Griffin could feel David's breath hitching; his whole body trembling and knew the other boy was right on the edge. Griffin gave a little more then, hoping to drive him over.

"Griffin," David gasped, almost losing it completely, "Griffin you're my whole world!" With that, David came apart at the seams, arching into Griffin so hard he knocked him over backward onto the mattress. The combination of David's words and the sudden change in angle as David's weight pressed him heavily into the mattress triggered Griffin's own orgasm. The white hot rush forced him to bite down on David's shoulder to ground himself and smother his sharp cry.

In the muted silence that followed, Griffin was only dimly aware of David working off both their pants, and using their boxers to half-heartedly mop up the mess smeared on their stomachs. He only came back to reality when he felt the butterfly touch on one of his cheeks and realized they were wet with tears.

"S' wrong Griff?" David's voice was heavy and slurred with the heaviness of afterglow, but there was no mistaking the note of fear in his tone. That maybe he'd made a mistake.

"Nothin'," Griffin had to fight the lump in his throat to reassure his…boyfriend? "Everything's right."

David clung tighter after that and for the first time in years, Griffin let himself be held by someone who loved him. At least, he thought David loved him. Reasonably sure, as a matter of fact, that he himself loved David. No other explanation existed for this strange alchemy between them; the compulsive need to crawl into the each other and hide.

When David offered to defy the world and escape with him, Griffin just smiled helplessly and knew.


	7. Misdirection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deranged Guidance counselors and David's potty mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

"So that's the whole plan? Figure out how to get the bracelets off, find somewhere out of the way to hole up in, and take out every Paladin we come across? Do you have any idea how many problems there are with that?"

"Shut up, David." Griffin's scowled, rather adorably in David's opinion, and flicked a pebble at David's bare back, where it bounced harmlessly off to the ground. They were lounging around the pond today, skipping stones and making out and just spending time together before the other students returned tomorrow and classes resumed. Since Christmas, they'd been wrapped completely in the thrall of each other, and thus hadn't said a word about the request David had made that night, preferring instead to talk or listen to music or make love, enjoying the serenity of being almost the only two people in their world for the time being.

But the end of Christmas holidays signaled an invisible countdown. Students were only kept at the Academy until their eighteenth birthdays. Griffin's was in March. They had less than three months to make their getaway before they'd be separated, possibly forever. Griffin hadn't ever been allowed to specialize his training during his years at school, and in conjunction with never having been told about his future placement, something he should've known months ago, both boys had an uneasy feeling that since weren't going to bode well for him once he'd "graduated." The worry and fear had slowly been working on Griffin the last few days, making him a little more edgy and snappish with David then he usually was. David could foresee this becoming a real problem, so he was doing his best to relieve the tension when he could and reassure Griffin that no matter what, they were a team now and David was committed to getting both of their sorry asses out.

It was easier said than done though, as Griffin was determined to give no quarter when it came to the escape plan. More than once after he'd tried to bring it up and been shot down, had David wondered if maybe his… boyfriend, didn't want David coming along at all. It was the little things though, small habits Griffin had that David had begun to pick up on, like the way he always had to touch David, even just a little after they'd argued, like maybe David would disappear if he didn't. That convinced David that most of the obstinacy was probably born out of the fear of loss. Really didn't surprise David at all, knowing what he knows now about Griffin's past. It did make discussing the subject resemble a tightrope walk over a chasm filled with angry bears, but David endured and today his persistence had paid off when Griffin hadn't immediately shot the topic down the moment it was brought up.

"I'm serious Griffin. There's got to be some way to get these things off. Some kind of device or key or something. Even if it just loosens them enough to take a pair of bolt cutters to them." David continued from where he was lying, sprawled on his stomach in the soft grasses. Griffin was sitting a few inches away, cross-legged and leaning back against the large rock, his left knee pressed to David's waist. They'd been out here for a couple of hours already, having stripped their shirts off long ago to enjoy the sunshine. David turned his head further to examine Griffin's expression and gauge whether or not it was ok to keep pushing the issue. Griffin looked sullen definitely, but David seemed to have worn him down enough at least for him to listen. He was also looking slightly sunburned across his nose and shoulders, David noted. Probably time to head back for dinner soon anyways. With a sigh David shifted, rising with little grace to his knees, then shuffling forward to clamber into Griffin's lap, the other boy stretching out his bent legs to better accommodate David' warm weight. Griffin let out a little appreciative noise as they settled, chest to chest, his arms coming around David's waist to rest against the lovely small of his back. David leaned and gave a little sweet kiss, barely a brushing of mouths, before drawing back a little and ignoring the protesting grunt from the older boy.

"Griffin, listen to me. I'm with you on this, totally, 110%. You know that. We have to start figuring this stuff out though before we wind up separated. We're stronger together; you know that, and they'll figure it out soon enough too. If we don't act now, we'll lose our only shot. And I'm not giving this up, not giving you up so easily!" David's impassioned argument really hit home, if Griffin's suddenly moist eyes and tightening embrace were anything to go by. David sighed in pleasure as he was pulled in closer, turning his face into the curve of Griffin's neck where it met his shoulder. The skin there was definitely pink and a little sunburned. David mentioned it, but Griffin was busy tracing the shell of his ear with his tongue and only "hmmed" slightly in reply. Not that David was complaining, of course. With a wicked smirk, he went to work darkening a fading hickey on Griffin's neck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

They'd been late to dinner and had arrived tellingly rumpled, despite their better efforts at composing themselves before entering the cafeteria. The large man who'd broken up their fight that first day, Counselor Gardener, was one of the few staff who'd stayed for the holidays. He looked up from his novel and coffee at their entrance with a thoughtful frown on his lips. David ducked his head a little and pulled Griffin a little more roughly to their table than he rightly should of, but the look had made him uncomfortable. He was afraid that they could be separated early if the secret got out. There was no hiding the fact that Griffin was anti-establishment and his behavior over the years had earned him a place on every watch list the UIJC had. They'd better work on keeping a lower profile, or else they might draw to much unwanted…

"A little late tonight, boys?"

…attention. SHIT! Counselor Gardener was hulking over them like, well, the Incredible Hulk of guidance counselors really. David immediately felt himself shrink a little into his seat, French fries forgotten, his old inbred 'Respect for Authority' voice demanding no less. Griffin, however, had no such compulsions. He straightened in his seat, posture taking on a more defensive air. If he were an animal in the wild, he'd definitely be throwing off tons of "leave me alone" vibes. David wanted to kick him under the table, warn him off making waves right now, terrified somehow that they'd been discovered, that maybe the creepy counselor could read minds or something. Griffin appeared perfectly calm, despite his obvious hostility. Under the table, David felt a foot gently rub against his leg, then again and again until he took the hint, forcing him to relax and let Griffin handle the situation.

"Something you wanted, Horace?" David gaped at his boyfriend; the utter gall making him feel a little light-headed with panic. Right now the last thing they needed was Griffin in trouble with the staff! The touch of the foot the David's calf had him calming again, but David really, really wished he knew what Griffin's plan was. Seemingly heedless of David's distress, Griffin continued. "Would've thought you'd be tickled pink to see me out of trouble, or was I the only entertainment in this dump?"

David trusted Griffin, as a general rule. Really he did. But right now, David was slowly dying inside of sheer unparalleled terror. Griffin obviously had some kind of plan; he wouldn't be so thoroughly confident if he didn't but whatever it was, David couldn't see it. He watched, visibly tense, as his boyfriend leaned back almost casually in his seat, angling his body in such a way that he was cock-eyed in the chair, one arm slung over the back in the very picture of brazen indifference. David wasn't so concerned about the picture Griffin was presenting so much as he was about the delicate patch of skin revealed by his jacket collar after his artful slump; the space on his neck where just an hour ago David had left a deep, dark purple hickey. David risked a glance at Horace…Counselor Gardener's face, looking for signs that he'd noticed. Judging by the raised eyebrows and questioning gaze, he had.

Well, that was just… David couldn't think of a good enough adverb to properly finish the sentence; he was too busy dying quietly in his seat from panic and mortification. Griffin had to know the mark was on display! It was so new, it probably still tingled…and the memory of the activity that put it there was drawing a fiery blush to David's face, neck, and ears. It was about that moment that Griffin became aware of the holes being bored into the side of his neck from two sets of eyes. The play of expressions on his face as he realized what both his companions were looking at dawned on him was priceless. He suddenly sat straight upright, metal rod through his spine, self-consciously pulling his jacket collar up to cover the incriminating mark. Far too late though, for both of them. David allowed his eyes to drift skyward, sending a quick prayer to whoever watched over young, dumb, horny rebels to make his death slow and quick.

"S'not what it looks like." Griffin's defensive rebuttal was too little too late, and everyone knew it. The silence stretched taut over the table for a moment, before it was sharply broken.

By Counselor Gardener's loud, braying laugh.

The noise drew every eye in the room and David felt himself flush further, even as his hysteria receded a little. Gradually, Counselor Gardener between too quiet himself, slowly regaining his composure until his mirth was fully contained. Dragging a chair in a rapid motion from the next table over; the large man lowered himself gracefully into the seat, lifting one ankle to rest on the opposite knee. His grin was irrepressible as he leaned in closer, mindful of the prying eyes, and addressed the boys in a low voice.

"Really Griffin, if I'd known that the way to sooth the savage beast was to toss a doe-eyed morsel your way, I'd have done it years ago! Be gentle with him though. People willing to put up with your shit are in pretty short supply." With one last cackle, the man rose, collected his stuff and swept from the cafeteria. David was deaf to all but the rushing in his ears. Morsel indeed! He was going to murder that smug, condescending asshole… David was out the door of the cafeteria after Horace with barely half a thought, heading unswervingly right to the large retreating back. At least, until Griffin's arm hooked around his midsection and hauled him back, struggling and spitting curses until they made it behind the cafeteria proper and David was pushed back against the brick and kissed breathless; Griffin's tongue licking like fire into all the little corners of David's mouth. David moaned into his boyfriend's mouth, disappointed when the kiss was broken entirely too soon for his liking. Griffin gave him a little wry tilt of the lips when he'd pulled back before speaking.

"As grateful as I am for you to go leaping in to defend our collective honour, I need you to understand two very important things. First, your language is atrocious when you're angry." Griffin's point was punctuated with a large eye-roll, and David had the decency to feel a little ashamed. "Seriously Davy, you walk into a bar with that mouth, and seconds later all the drunks and hooligans come tearing out like the place is on fire." David laughed involuntarily at the mental image; the last of the rage draining from his system and his body relaxing more into the other boy's arms. Griffin smiled at that before speaking again.

"The other thing, my Davy, is that as priggish as that shitheel is, this was according to plan." David blinked, regarding his boyfriend with shock.

"Come again?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It wasn't until they were safely ensconced in their room that Griffin agreed to explain. He settled himself down on David's bed after stealing the pillows and blankets off his own, and David crawled into the makeshift nest after him; both boys snuggling together against the headboard. Once they were comfortably entwined, Griffin began to talk.

"Ever played chess Davy?" David nodded against Griffin's shoulder, where his head was resting, wondering what that had to do with what had happened in the cafeteria.

"Sometimes in chess, sacrifices must be made. Trade the life of a Pawn for a Rook, a Bishop for the Queen, and all that. This was really the same thing."

"How so?"

"We have a really big secret, right? One that will be the end of us if it gets out. We've been disappearing together for hours on end all holiday Davy, and despite our fight the first day, we've been stuck together like glue at all meals and all free time when classes are in session. We've even been seen talking and laughing together. While that may have been the usual for you at your old school, no one here has ever seen me take to anyone. Mostly because I haven't taken to anyone, ever. Ever. You're the first Davy." And David knew that, he did, and that made this thing between them even more precious for it. He let his hand fall to Griffin's knee, playing with the little fold of denim there, letting him know with a touch that it was understood.

"By doing all that, we've made ourselves suspicious. I mean, I always have been since they had to drug me to get me here. You might've escaped that, but you allied with me and that will put you under scrutiny too. So you see, by sacrificing one secret, one not as dangerous but no less significant; we've thrown them off and bought ourselves some leeway. It was a bit of a crapshoot, admittedly. They could have separated us like school protocols demand, but since neither of us have anyone who'd complain that the school was allowing indecent activities to occur, and because I appear to be less antagonistic and more 'manageable' this way, I knew they'd let it lie. Might even encourage it, for all I know. Wasn't expecting him to have such an attitude about it, but I knew he wouldn't really care. Not like I can get you pregnant or anything…" This drew and indignant gasp from David.

"What makes you think I'm the girl in this relationship?" David's face went red again at the implications of his statement. Griffin leapt on the comment with a saucy reply.

"Because only virginal maidens blush like you do, love." The reply was accompanied by a quick pinch to David's ass.

"GRIFFIN!"

A week after Counselor Gardener found out about them, David stood outside his office door, scuffing his feet nervously while he worked up the courage to knock. Once he did though, he found himself ushered in and sat in front of the large oak desk with little fanfare.

"So what can I do for you today Mr. Rice?" The smarmy grin on the man's otherwise attractive face set butterflies awhirl in David's gut, but he sucked up the feeling to respond.

"I was told you could acquisition…things. For students. In need." Gardener laughed heartily at him and David's face was already burning, with signs of worsening. Damn his pale complexion!

"Sorry little guy, we don't distribute condoms here. We're not supposed to be encouraging all you little horndogs any. Not that you need the encouragement, right?"

"No! Not...not those… I need clothes? I didn't pack many and I understand my dad signed over all custody…" David allowed his best kicked puppy look to dominate his features, trying to emphasize the 'poor little unwanted boy" aspect of his story. It seemed to work. The man immediately adopting a slightly guilty expression and shifting gears straight into business mode, turning to a large filing cabinet on the left.

"Right then, let's check your file… Ah, yes, I see. You are allotted a small personal budget every year for clothes and the like. What do you need and in what size? I'll get it ordered for you." Bingo.

"Well, another hoodie would be nice. Medium. And some new sneakers, size 8. These are falling apart. A new pair of jeans, 32" x 32" with boot cut and dark wash. And a dozen pairs of boxers. Medium." At this, Gardener raised his eyes.

"A dozen? What you change them twice a day or something?" David allowed the blush to rise again, using his natural response to his favour for once.

"They all got torn sir."

"Torn, David?" The blush deepened.

"Griffin, he…he likes to tear them off. Sometimes with his teeth. I've been going commando for three days now cause he almost shredded the last pair and it's really not that comfortable. I keep catching myself in my zipper and talking to him about it does no good. He just doesn't listen, I mean I doubt I have to tell you how stubborn he is, and it's even worse when he's horny and he has to go through all those layers just too…" David had allowed to words to rush out of him, one long run-on sentence worth of cringe inducing 'TMI,' slowly watching Gardener's face turn an interested shade of puce until he was finally cut off.

"That's enough! That's enough, David; I'll order the damn boxers." Almost there. "Anything else or can you get the hell out of my office?" Checkmate.

"One more thing sir." David fidgeted nervously in his seat; the very picture of teenage awkwardness, hot red blush in full force. "Could…I mean, I don't know if it's even possible, but maybe you could, just a little…"

"Spit it out Mr. Rice!" Hook, line and sinker.

"Adjust the bracelet? It was a little uncomfortable to begin with, and I've been eating full meals for once since I got here, and even with the added… exercise, I've gained a couple of pounds, and the bracelet, sir, _it's digging in and it hurts!"_ At that, David lifted his arm, displaying his bracelet adorned wrist. His previous statement wasn't entirely untrue, now that he was eating three squares a day, he had gained a couple of pounds; the extra weight padding his slender frame a little and making the bracelet fit a little snugger, just shy of outright uncomfortable. Mostly though, the stricken look on Gardener's face was David's little coup de grace; he'd spent the last couple of days worrying at the slight pinch, rubbing the flesh of his wrist as if the bracelet had been cutting of circulation. The constant tugging and fidgeting had caused his wrist to swell a little, making the pinch bad enough to actually cause a mild feeling of pins and needles in his hand. As the wrist swelled, the bracelet dug in more and the result was a red, raw mess around the bracelet that was even a little bloody in one place. It looked much worse than it was, but that's what David was counting on. Gardener spluttered.

"Oh God! Why didn't you say something sooner! Let me call the nurse…"

"It's ok sir, really. I'm sure it will be fine if it's a little looser. My dad always said that it was uncharitable to bother more important people than oneself with your silly little problems…" David knew he had him even before he added the little quiver in his lower lip, like the mention of his father pained him. Gardener didn't even hesitate before yanking open to top right hand drawer of his desk and extracting a small silver key. Leaning down to the drawer on the bottom left of his desk, he fit the key in the lock and withdrew a small box, the kind jewelry is held in.

David watched with bated breath as the velvet case yielded what looked like a small black gear. Offering his wrist, David tipped his head down but kept his eyes trained on the proceedings, rapt gaze hidden by his blond fringe. With practiced ease, Gardener set the gear-shaped key to the underside of David's wrist, where it clicked into the line of grooves that ran the length of the bracelet. Delicately with one finger, Gardener spun the key until there were three soft clicks, one after another.

"Is that better?"Gardener queried. The pressure on David's wrist had loosened just enough to let the blood flow better, but he knew that even after the swelling went down, while he'd have a little more give than before, it would only be a hairbreadth or two. That's ok, getting his bracelet loosened was only a means to an end. David nodded, and Gardener removed the key, placing it back in its velvet case and locking the whole thing back into his desk.

Thanking Gardener for his help and promising to visit the nurse for some ointment, David set off towards the dorms, forcing himself to keep a casual pace even though he wanted to sprint through the hallways, whooping. Making his way across the quad and then to room 22A seemed to take longer than it ever had before. When he entered, Griffin was pacing trenches in the ground between the beds.

"Well?" David had barely shut the door behind himself before Griffin was on him, pulling his arm up to inspect the bracelet. "What'd he say? Did it work? Did he do it?"

"He did it Griffin. I know how the bracelets work now, and I know how to get them off. And after the lies I had to tell him to throw him off-balance enough to not ask questions, I think I've earned an orgasm. Don't you agree?"

Griffin's smile was electric

"Your wish, love, is my command."


	8. The Chemicals Between Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An innocent salad suffers and a suprise visitor appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

"We're not going to be able to go to the pond for the next few Saturdays. I have to do makeup labs for Chem class or Mr. Dawson's gunna flunk me." Slamming the tray down, dropping his bag and almost throwing himself into his seat, David forwent a more typical greeting in favor of getting the bad news out of the way. "I mean really, I'm not the greatest science student, but I've passed every test and handed in every assignment completed and on time! Now he's claiming that I have to complete a certain number of lab hours because I missed the first half of the course, and he waits till now to tell me, after I've been here for two months! Like I don't have enough cramming to do for every other class!"

Rant completed, David garnished his diatribe with a vicious curse directed at the teacher in question's potentially scandalous heritage. He then proceeded to stab angrily at his salad. Griffin just eyed him levelly, face perfectly blank while calmly sipping from a juice box. After a few minutes of veggie-mauling, it became apparent that David wasn't going to calm down on his own, so Griffin finished his juice with one last swallow, neatly stacked his dishes to the side, then reached across the table and plucked the abused fork from David's fingers. The other boy let him, instead clenching both hands into fists on the tabletop and scowling into his lunch.

"It's a good thing lettuce and cucumbers can't scream in pain David or the 'Great Salad Massacre' would be making headlines right about now." Despite his better attempts to glare any surviving salad into submission, David felt a blush start high on his cheekbones; his bad mood fizzling a little in the face of Griffin's devotion. Peeking through his bangs at the other boy's cheeky grin, he watched as his boyfriend reached across the table and gingerly took a ravaged piece of carrot between his thumb and forefinger.

"No Davidzilla! Have mercy on Tomatokyo! Think of the children!" Griffin spoke in a high, squeaky voice, making the little orange 'citizen' bounce on the edge of the plate. Despite his frustration, David really couldn't keep a straight face at Griffin's antics. Grinning widely at his boyfriend, he decided to join the game.

"Never! Come face your death like a man!" Opening his mouth wide, David allowed Griffin to feed him the tasty little morsel, crunchy it satisfyingly between his molars while Griffin used his squeaky-carrot voice to make a noise like a dying shriek. His fingertips still rested against David's lips, tracing the edges of David's loving smile. Despite having been outed by Gardener nearly a month ago, David knew that the concept of the two scariest boys in school dating each other was still fracturing poor, young minds around campus. Especially moments like now, where they were acting like total girls about it. Not that David cared if they had girly moments, even in public. They were still the toughest kids in the academy. The three boys in their dorm who'd been dumb enough to make derogatory comments to them last week were still licking their wounds. Apparently, David and Griffin were several times more effective in a fight when they were working as a team and not fighting each other. Go figure.

"Feeling better?" Griffin hazarded, like the dumbass grin on David's face wasn't a dead giveaway. He nodded anyways, and then playfully kicked his boyfriend under the table just for the hell of it. Griffin laughed and scooted his chair around the table so he was still facing David, but closer.

"Gunna tell me what's really bugging you, besides the whole asshole maneuver? Things like that normally don't get your back so far up." David dipped his head a blushed at little.

"I…am very, very bad at practical chemistry. I once melted a glass beaker while working with supposedly harmless chemicals."

Griffin couldn't help laughing again, earning himself another kick in the process. Expertly wielding the previously stolen fork, Griffin speared a lettuce leaf and waved it under David's nose. "Now eat up babe," he declared imperiously, "or I'll start feeding you by hand; give the fan club in the corner a right proper show, yeah?" David glanced at said 'fan club' from the corner of his eye. They were a pair of girls a few years younger than David that thought he and his boyfriend were 'perfectly adorable together!' It was nauseating and vaguely disturbing.

The rest of David's meal consisted of him and Griffin giving the remains of his salad cheesy voice-overs; an entire bowls worth of vegetables pleading to be spared consumption. David was just finishing up when he spotted Gardener making a beeline towards their table. Griffin had his back turned so he allowed his focused gaze and body language to speak for him; Griffin picking up the hint almost instantly, cutting himself off mid-sentence, and turning to face the visitor. Gardener has his best oily grin in place, which essentially meant something was up. Both boys braced themselves, knowing it probably couldn't be good.

"And how are my favorite juvenile delinquents today? Started any riots yet?" David forced a smile and responded in a fake cheery tone to match the man's patronizing one.

"They day's young yet sir. What can we do for you?" Both David and Griffin's intent stares suggested that the pleasantries were over and the time for business was at hand. Gardener didn't seem fazed, but he did offer to escort David to the office to meet with his visitor. A cold chill ran down David's back; visitors never meant anything good. A visitor usually meant bad news from the outside world. Griffin's hand immediately found David's as they made the trek to the main office, dread and worry solidifying in his gut with every step. David was grateful for the support, visions of his father dead or dying running through his head. He may hate the man's guts, but a father was a father and David certainly didn't wish the man dead.

Upon arriving at the office, Griffin was told to have a seat in the waiting area while David was ushered further back towards Gardener's private office. This would be the first time David would have been in this particular room since the day he'd humiliated himself to gather information on the bracelets. In fact, the memory was so vivid now that he'd returned that it took all of his willpower to keep his eyes from darting down to the corner of the desk where the key was kept. Instead he held his gaze on the woman standing before the desk, back turned to him. She was of above average height, wearing a smart grey suit jacket and skirt, with highlighted brunette hair cut in a fashionable neck-length style. The way she held herself screamed professional, and David unconsciously tightened his posture to present a good impression. Gardener excused them to their business, closing the office door. The moment of ensuing silence was unbearable, so David broke it, voice stressed and paper-thin.

"It is my Dad? Did something happen to him?"

"No David. He's just fine." The woman's voice was achingly familiar as she turned to face him, and David's chest clenched so hard it hurt.

"Mom?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Griffin was waiting for him when he stormed out of the office fifteen minutes later. He heard his mot… the woman follow him.

"David, David it doesn't have to be this way." David whirled on her and practically snarled his response.

"Doesn't it?" He must have looked and sounded pretty wrecked, because Griffin took the byplay as his cue to intercede, leaping to his feet and throwing and arm around David's shoulders. As he gently steered him out of the office and towards the dorms, Griffin snapped at the secretary to make sure they were excused from afternoon classes for personal issues, goddammit! The woman made no further attempts to stop either of them, even when Griffin turned back and flipped her the bird. Still furious and slightly dazed, David allowed himself to be led back to their room, paying no attention to anyone or anything on the way beyond Griffin's warm, anchoring hold.

Upon arriving, David kicked his shoes off numbly and curled into a little ball on his bed. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of Griffin removing his own shoes and turning on David's favorite mellow playlist; the one that was the most relaxing. When Griffin moved onto the bed and sat against the headboard, David scooted closer to pillow his head on the boy's thigh. Griffin's fingers immediately curled into his hair, blunt nails scratching his scalp in an impromptu massage. David sighed a little at the caress and murmured a barely-audible thanks. They sat like that for a while, David drawing comfort from Griffin, listening to his boyfriend sing along to a handful of his favorite slow songs. Griffin had a pleasant enough voice, even if he was generally a little flat, and David loved to hear him, mostly because no one else was allowed to. The fact that he was singing love songs, well, that somewhat inspired the kind of girly feelings David would only admit to under duress. Once David had calmed enough to gather his thoughts, he finally spoke.

"A good son would've told his boyfriend off for giving his mother the bird, Griffin. But I'm not a good son anymore, am I? Between her and my father, I don't think I'm anyone's son anymore, really. That's what hurts the most, I think." To his credit, Griffin's hand only faltered for a second, before resuming its rhythmic petting.

"That woman, your mother, she was dressed like…" Griffin hesitated, so David finished for him.

"A Paladin? She is one, always has been. It's why she left me, after the first Jump I ever made. You know I don't even remember that Jump? She claims she wanted me to have a normal life, so she didn't turn me in to the academy back then, but she didn't have to leave either! Not that I really want to associate with murderous religious fanatic, anyways. I guess… I was always afraid as a child that it was my fault that she left. Looks like I was right." The bitterness felt like acid in David's throat, and he felt himself trembling. A small part of him had been wailing in fear since the office, terrified that Griffin might hold his mother's affiliations against him. For all David knew, his mother might have even had a hand in the deaths of Griffin's loved ones. Griffin didn't waver though, instead he shifted, pulling David in closer and curling his body around the other boy, as if giving him shelter. David squeezed his eyes shut, holding back tears and clutching one of Griffin's hands so tightly it was probably painful.

"You… you have to know, that this changes things, David." David went totally numb for a moment, struggling to speak through the tightness inside and fighting back his tears.

"You…don't want me with you, anymore?"

"NO! No Davy, don't ever think that!" The vehemence in Griffin's tone eased much of the invisible pressure on David's ribcage, which was quickly replaced by the very real pressure of Griffin's tightened grip on him. As a matter of public record, David definitely preferred the latter. In a softer voice, Griffin spoke again.

"What I meant was, if we do this, if we run… It might very well be your mother coming after us. I wouldn't put it past them in fact, to do just that. She knew you once, Davy, and they'll want to use that to their advantage; or at the very least count on it throwing you off balance. Would you still want that, David? Would you still want a life on the run, with me, knowing that your own mother was the one stalking your footsteps and lurking in the shadows? Look, we need to be able to trust each other, completely and without exception. We need to be able to have each other's backs, so I need to know now if you have any hesitations. Any feelings about her that could hurt us, or get us hurt later. But mostly…mostly, Davy, I need to know that you really, truly want this. I don't want you with me out of a misplaced sense of duty or honor. I want you with me for real, because…" and here Griffin drew a shuddering breath before continuing.

"Because…I love you, David Rice, and I want you with me because being without you is utterly inconceivable."

David pulled his lover down into a bruising kiss, trying to pour all his love and devotion into the other's mouth. He realized then that the tears had come, leaving glistening trails of grief and joy on his cheeks, and pressed as close as there were, onto Griffin's beautiful face as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Saturday morning had dawned slightly overcast, but warm. There was a good stiff breeze today, but no sign of rain which was perfect. Inside the cafeteria, David sat in stony silence through breakfast, deliberately ignoring his tablemate, just as Griffin returned the favor. It wasn't obvious to anyone looking that compared to their usual behavior; both boys were a walking mess of raw nerves, and their blatant ignorance of each other spoke volumes. Already the rumor mill was churning out stories of a lover's spat of epic proportions. After their meal, while all the other students headed outside to enjoy the mild weather, David and Griffin made their way to the Science wing behind the main offices for the third of David's many make-up chemistry labs. Last Saturday, the boys had managed to convince Dawson that Griffin should be allowed to sit in and keep David company. It wasn't like he could help David cheat; after all, they'd reasoned with the man, Griffin had never taken chemistry, a fact that mattered very little considering how much extracurricular reading Griffin had done on just about every subject under the sun. Not that Mr. Dawson knew that. Besides, the teacher would be right there supervising the whole time, which was a good thing because David really was that bad with hands-on chemistry. Mr. Dawson had already been forced to intervene a couple of times to prevent epic messy catastrophe. Privately, Griffin thought himself a saint to be voluntary on the same planet as David when the boy was in a chem lab.

David's slightly longer legs and rapid stride allowed him to easily overtake Griffin and make it to the lab first, jerking off his bag and almost tossing it to the floor by his stool. He was yanking out his binder and flipping to the appropriate page when Griffin caught up, slightly winded from trying to keep up without sacrificing his dignity and running. Scowl firmly etched on his features, Griffin crossed the room, reaching for David's shoulder. The moment he made contact the younger boy spun away, shrugging the hand off his shoulder and stomping to the chemical supply cabinet. Griffin growled slightly and made to follow when Dawson dropped his own meaty hand on the boy's shoulder, steering him to a table across the room with strict instructions to leave the argument outside or get the hell out. David watched his boyfriend grudgingly agree and pull out his own homework while David set up for his experiments. Mr. Dawson came and checked everything over, then allowed David to proceed, returning to his own desk to mark exams.

As soon as Dawson's attention was focused elsewhere, Griffin began quietly rooting through his bag before finding his prize; a bag of rubber bands. Wrapping one around his hand in classic "gun" pose, he took careful aim and let it fly, where it snapped against the tender skin on the back of David's neck. David's hand jerked, dumping more water than he'd intended into the beaker. The glare he shot Griffin was molten, and he mouthed a few unflattering words towards his boyfriend. Griffin just offered a prissy grin, making David turn around, fuming. A few seconds later, the next elastic band caught David in the small of his back, but he grit his teeth and ignored it. Just as he ignored the next four elastics that struck him in various places along his back and shoulders. With every one that struck home, you could see the metaphorical Mount Vesuvius of David's temper preparing to erupt.

Griffin's petty revenge was brought to an abrupt halt when Mr. Dawson looked up just in time to catch the latest elastic smacking David square in the temple and falling dangerously close to the flame on the Bunsen burner. In moments, he had Griffin by the scruff and was frog-marching him to the office for detention, hollering the whole way about lab safety concerns and respect for the proud and noble art of chemistry in the way only a squat, red-faced and angry man could.

They were just outside the office doors when a loud, cascading boom filled the air; the floor beneath their feet vibrating deeply. Students and staff froze for a split second, before the fire alarm began to shriek it's warning, although the hall sprinklers failed to come on. Both Griffin and Dawson stood, shocked, while students and teachers began to cry and scream, stampeding to the nearest exit while noxious grey smoke began to creep around the corner near the ceiling, coming from the direction of the science labs where Griffin had just been.

Where his boyfriend still was.

Griffin hadn't recognized the anguished cries until he realized it was himself, screaming David's name. He wasn't sure when, but at some point he must have made to go back, because Dawson and the newly arrived Gardener were holding him tightly and pulling his wildly struggling form backwards towards the door. In a sudden burst of clarity, he slammed him foot down onto the arch of Dawson's foot, then drove his elbow back into Gardener's stomach. With twin cries of pain and surprise, they let go and Griffin was pelting headlong down the hallway to the science labs.

Towards ground zero of the explosion.

Towards the boy he loved.


	9. Interlude 3: Mary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David's Mommy issues see light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

"Mom?"

For a moment we just stare at each other, cataloguing the differences that ten years have made to the faces we'd held in our memories. The teenager in front of me has little in common with the small boy I used to call 'Davy.' He has a bit of a world-weary look about him, which surprises me somewhat. I watch his expressive eyes take me in fully; lingering on a new haircut, the added laugh lines and crow's feet I now carry, and the tiny Paladin insignia stitched onto the collar of my jacket.

Especially the little insignia. I have the sudden sinking feeling that this will not be going according to plan

"You left." He says to me, tone perfectly flat. Although I'm not sure what I suspected would happen when we first met again, I admit I had figured he'd be a little happier to be here. I suppose I deserve the cold shoulder. The boy could never fully understand the reasons I'd had for doing what I did; the shame of having birthed a Jumper, yet the affection I still felt for him despite that. I had wondered, on occasion, if this was how the mothers of inmates on death row felt.

"I had to David. I wanted you to have a normal life…"

"You're a Paladin." David's tone is heavy with accusation as he calls my bluff. "Don't tell me that didn't have something to do with it. Did you stop loving me, when you found out?" David's voice was full of naked heartache, and every motherly instinct I carry screeched at me to fix it.

"I have always loved you." I say, although he doesn't look convinced. It's mostly the truth, even if my skin crawls at the thought of holding him they way I used to. I push away my confliction; I am here with a purpose. Folding my hands in front of myself, I begin.

"You are doing well here, David. I had hoped you'd be able to avoid all this…unpleasantness. But, nonetheless, you've almost caught up to your peers already. You've even managed to make…'friends' with one of the most difficult students this school has ever seen."

Something in my son shifts at the mention of his little catamite, and I make note to keep my speech civil when speaking about the O'Conner boy, distasteful as he is.

"David, you are very talented, and from what your councilor has said, you are quite the charmer. Griffin O'Conner has never been anything resembling manageable until your arrival, and now he's almost become tolerable, or so I've been told. That's quite the feat. Never mind the fact that you seem to be a handy team in a fight…" I allowed myself to trail off, to see if the boy had the mindset to figure out my proposition before I said it. Apparently he did.

"No!" He was furious now, I could see, and the reports I'd read of his frightening temper suddenly made more sense. Regardless of the tension, I pushed forward.

"David, with you and Griffin working with the Paladins…"

"With Griffin and I working with you, you'd be even more effective at kidnapping children to be brainwashed into good little obedient citizens, and killing anybody who disagreed or fought back! I'd rather cut my own throat than sink that low! And to think, to you Paladins we are the abominations…" I had seen many looks of utter loathing in my life, but never one that cut me quite like the one my son now favored me with.

"David," I plead, working to be at my most convincing, "just consider the offer…"

"FUCK you!" the boy snarls, "You left!"

With that, he whirls and storms out on me, slamming the door. The whole thing makes him seem both far too old, and at the same time incredibly young.

With only a moment's hesitation, I follow, but even as go chasing after my son I have the strangest of feelings, like a sick foreshadowing of events not yet passed. As I watch him leave, O'Conner's arm slung over his shoulders, some deep part of me, the part that still remembers being Davy's 'mommy' knows that despite his rejection today, this will not be the last time we meet.


	10. Escape Artists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is and end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

"Hey, David?" Griffin's soft inquiry barely seemed to disturb the stillness in the wake of their passion; Griffin having pulled out all the stops to comfort and sooth his boyfriend after the disastrous conversation with his mother earlier that day.

"Mmmhm?"

"You said you have makeup chem labs on Saturdays now?"

"Mmyeah, so wut?" David's voice was slurred with the edges of sleep, but even so he could still sense Griffin's victorious smile.

"Then I have a goddamn brilliant plan."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

PRESENT:

The smoke was so thick in the air, it was nearly impossible to see, and the ambient temperature had already climbed uncomfortably, making Griffin's shirt stick to his back with sweat. The flames had spread from the open doorway, forced into the hall by the initial blast and now licking along the walls in all directions; the flickering light turning the science wing into a hall of horrors. Griffin was still hollering David's name, even as the hot chemical smoke sent knives of pain into his lungs and throat, reducing his shouts to desperate wheezes nearly drowned out by the hungry growls and snarls of the growing fire; his eyes watering so badly he had tear tracks clean down his neck to his collar, and his vision blurred terribly. Lack of oxygen and panic settled in his guy like a heavy sickness, making his head swim and his usually rational thoughts scatter. He was so disoriented; he almost missed the frantic banging coming from a broom closet a couple doors down from the lab where David had been working.

Heartbeat thundering in his ears in time with the banging, Griffin charged to the door and grasped the handle, shrieking in pain and yanking his had back as the overheated metal seared his skin. The banging had stopped, but a thin, muffled voice could now be heard from behind the door.

"-iffin? Griffin, z'at you? There's no knob on the inside, Griffin I'm stuck!" David's voice had a clear edge of panic to it, and sounded hoarse from screaming and smoke inhalation. Hearing him galvanized Griffin into action, and he didn't even feel the agony of the hot metal the second time, wrenching open the stubborn knob to reveal his terrified boyfriend. David's face was streaked with constant tears from the smoke. On the left side of his face was what resembled an angry red sunburn, narrowly missing an eye but melting some of the hair at his temple. Griffin spared a moment to clutch David tightly to himself, before reluctantly pulling back to speak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

PAST:

"So let me get this straight, Griffin. You're going to find a way to distract Dawson while I'm in the lab. Then I'm going to burn down the school? What the hell kind of plan is that?" David looked about two seconds away from having has boyfriend committed, not that Griffin could really blame him, all things considered. It did sound pretty crazy before it was properly explained.

"No, David. On this specific Saturday," Griffin hefted David's lab schedule for the next several Saturdays, "We're going to get up, and pack an extra change of clothes and any significant personal items into our backpacks. We'll have to pack light, or it will look suspicious. I'm going to find a way to distract Dawson, get him to leave the classroom entirely. The experiment planned for that day is fairly benign, unless you substitute here and here," Griffin pointed to the corresponding chemicals in the experiment overview. "That will create a slow-burn chemical fire; the kind that won't go out easily under the sprinklers, and throw off a lot of smoke. You're going to do that David, while you're alone. If you're truly as bad at chemistry as you claim to be, no one will suspect foul play later. Once the fire's going, pull the alarm if it's not already ringing, and take cover somewhere in the science hall. I'll come get you as soon as the coast is clear, and while everyone stands outside on the lawn like dorks and waits for the fire department to make the drive from town; we bust into Gardener's office, ditch the bracelets and make our grand escape." Utter silence followed Griffin's explanation; David simply staring at him and blinking, until a molasses-slow smile spread nearly ear to ear.

"So not only do we get the hell out of here, I get to torch my most-hated classroom? Let's do it!" Griffin rolled his eyes a little.

"It's not going to be that exciting, David. At most they'll have to replace the lab bench and do some minor cosmetics on the room. Besides, the sprinklers remember? They'll stop anything from getting too out of hand." David pushed his full lower lip out in a spectacular pout.

"Go ahead, rain on my parade." Griffin just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

PRESENT:

"You have the bags?" David's eyes went wide, and then he spun and lugged both their backpacks from the closet. They shouldered their packs quickly as they ran pell-mell from the rapidly approaching inferno, chests heaving and lungs on fire with more than just the exertion, constant coughing fits punishing their bodies. Breathing should have become a little easier as they neared the office, but the smoke didn't seem to be clearing like it should have. It wasn't until Griffin jerked the office door open, letting David through before he charged through himself, that they realized why.

The original blast must have come clean through the shared wall between the bank of private offices and the chemistry class, because the fire had spread here too, greedily consuming masses of paperwork, class schedules, office supplies and anything else left in its path and belching out noxious black smoke. The hall leading to Gardener's office was already starting to burn; the door in question near the end almost obscured from view behind a veil of grey. The sight froze them both momentarily in place.

"Oh God Griffin, I didn't know it was this bad, I wasn't supposed to be this bad, right? I started it just like you said, grabbed our bags just like you said, went to hide in the closet like I was supposed to and the moment I closed the door - BAM! - like the world was ending and I could smell the smoke and feel the heat even from the closet, and it was the container wasn't it? I left the whole bottle on the lab bench after I used it, oh God Griffin I was supposed to move it, you told me to move it but I was nervous and now I've burnt down the school for real cause the sprinklers didn't come on and it spread and we're gunna die, Griffin, we're gunna…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

PAST:

"…die horrible deaths if they ever catch up… Griffin, are you even listening to me?" Griffin grunted slightly from where he was sprawled on the bed next to David, already half asleep. "Griffin!" The slight tone of panic in David's voice was what roused him; and with a sigh he flipped over, repositioning himself so he could pull his nervous lover closer. David rearranged himself too, so the pair was snuggled together under the covers.

"Don't worry so much, love. We're a great team, yeah? Damn near invincible together."

"But Griffin, they're going to catch up eventually. And even if we win the first time, the tenth time, the thousandth time, eventually we're going to be too slow, or too weak, or caught off guard and they're going to get us. It's inevitable, if not today then someday, and what happens then?" Griffin was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer. He couldn't lie now, couldn't give his boyfriend empty platitudes when they both knew David was right.

"Then…then we do like they did in that movie with the boat. You know, the whole 'you jump, I jump' thing? David…if they get to us, I mean, take down one of us, the other goes down too. We die for each other, David, if that's what you want. I know I would for you. I'd have nothing left without you save bloody vengeance." It shouldn't have been as romantic as it was, but Griffin felt the devotion within him grow at the thought. David seemed to be a little stunned and shaken, but still managed to affect a dubious tone.

"You mean 'Titanic?' Shouldn't it be more like 'Romeo and Juliet' if we're making a suicide pact?" Hearing the words aloud made them feel more real, and Griffin felt the weight of rightness in his gut. His grin was unseen, but his snort was heard loud and clear

"No way, Romeo was a pussy." David's helpless laughter was beautiful in the dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

PRESENT:

Realizing the David was panicking and close to losing it, Griffin grabbed David's hand in a bruising grip and without allowing himself to hesitate, he drug him almost violently straight down the center of the hallway, David's babble ending abruptly as they began to move. Avoiding the walls as best he could, Griffin was squinting to see past the tears and the dancing black spots in his eyes. Suddenly, Gardener's door loomed before them like an apparition and Griffin twisted the knob, only to discover it was locked. He stared dumbly for a moment, shocked, before David's good sense won out and he threw all his adrenaline-fueled weight against the wooden door, which creaked promisingly in response. Griffin joined him on the second charge, slamming his shoulder into the door hard enough to hurt; David's moaned "Oh, God" and his own wheezing breaths echoing endlessly in the godforsaken corridor. It was the fourth time charm that got them through; the splintering frame losing the battle, cracked door swinging wide to spill both boys into a tangle on the ground. Quickly hauling David back against him, Griffin cleared their feet out of the way and kicked the door shut to spite the flames that threatened them. The broken door only mostly closed, but Griffin hoped it would buy them enough time and oxygen to remove the bracelets.

David was already behind the desk rooting through drawers, crowing in triumph when he held the tiny key between his thumb and forefinger. Griffin half-heartedly scooted his suddenly leaden body backwards towards David, flopping ungracefully behind the desk where David was sitting on the floor. Griffin felt himself pulled back against his boyfriend's chest; his arm lifted and maneuvered so that David could begin working on his bracelet first. Griffin closed his gritty, burning eyes, thankful for the moment of relief. He could only dimly hear David's voice now, even as his boyfriend told him to focus on it, to listen and stay awake. Jesus Griffin how'd you get the blisters all over your hands, they must hurt so much, Christ this was harder than it looked, goddamn tiny-ass little key… Griffin, Griffin babe, stay awake now, if you go to sleep you might not wake up… Got it, Griffin, it's off! It's off! Hold on I need to do mine now, and then we can get out of here and go anywhere we want, just the two of us. Griffin, open your eyes, baby, open your eyes!

But it was warm, almost uncomfortably so, and David's voice was drifting away. Griffin was so very sleepy and he had a headache, plus his chest and throat hurt something fierce, so maybe he'd just take a little nap so it didn't bother him anymore. Clutched tight in his boyfriend's frantic embrace, Griffin slid sideways into the darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

PAST:

"You want us to act like we've had a fight? Why?" Griffin had to try hard not to laugh at the baffled look on David's face. Probably not the best time, the suggestion seemed to have upset his boyfriend and his amusement wouldn't go very far towards damage control.

"Look, Davy, I've thought about it; you've already cleverly convinced Dawson that I should sit in with you, if will look too strange if I try and run a distraction from outside the classroom at this point. But if there's one thing I've learned about Dawson in the last couple of weeks, he's practically a safety Nazi. I'm sure I could easily think of something to have him haul me out of the classroom for a bit, but if everyone thinks we're on the outs, it would give me more reason to cause trouble in your detention. It will just seem less suspicious this way, love. Please?" Griffin tried his best ingratiating look, which wasn't really that good but David had always given it an 'E' for Effort. David's patented puppy face, however, was much better refined, and currently turned on full blast at Griffin.

"I don't want to, Griff. I hate it when we fight, why would I want to spend an entire morning pretending to be mad at you?" David was only inches away from whining outright, and they both knew it. Griffin took a deep breath and reigned in his temper, before this really became a fight.

"Trust me David, yeah? Just one day, and when we're on a beach somewhere in Cancun, we can laugh all about it while we're making out, ok?" This seemed to convince David mostly, although he was still obviously unhappy. Griffin's boyfriend sighed in resignation, and stepped into his personal space, nuzzling into his jaw line as his arms went around Griffin's narrow waist. Griffin immediately encouraged the hug, holding David close.

"I do trust you, Griffin. It's just, if something goes wrong, I don't want to remember our last day together like that, even if it's fake." Griffin tightened his grip, so much so he could've left bruises, although David didn't make a noise beyond a surprised hitch of breath. When Griffin spoke, his voice was low and dark velvet in its vehemence.

"Nothing, NOTHING is going to go wrong. In a couple days we'll be free love, you'll see. Everything is going to be perfect, I promise."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

PRESENT:

Hours later, when the blaze was finally extinguished, it was really only luck that had left Gardener's office so ravaged by fire that all evidence of the smashed in door and David's hysterical Jump to freedom was lost forever.


	11. Epilogue: Full Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, the ride's over, disembark here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, currently uploading a bunch of old writing from my Dreamwidth to the Archive here. This is old as shit so don’t judge the quality of my writing too hard please mmkay?

The person in black approached the teenager crouched low over the grave, footsteps surprisingly quiet on the soft snow. The closer he moved, the more obvious it was that the boy was speaking to the low headstone, breath frosting in the cold air and mitted hands rubbing together intermittently to help ward the chill. The closer the figure moved, the more he could perceive of the one-sided conversation; until eventually he was able to eavesdrop from almost directly behind the younger male.

"…and it was scary as hell, Millie. Scarier than the water, in a lot of ways. Not much different in others though. It's just…weird for me now to think about it all, I guess. Three months ago I went into the water with you, and you died, and god, Millie it hurt so bad. I missed you…" David Rice took a moment to swallow thickly, and brush a stray tear from his eye, seemingly unaware of the steady gaze of his watcher. "Then, two months after that I went into the fire with Griffin… I never would have met him, if it wasn't for you Millie. You and that snow globe. I gave it to him, you know, I hope you don't mind. It just seemed fitting, I guess. Everything that's happened since I bought it, every strange parallel between you and him, water and fire, winter and summer, girl and boy, it seems, I don't know…equal somehow? Opposites? Full circle maybe? I'm not good with this cosmic relevancy stuff, anyways. I just know that I wish you could've met him, I think you would've liked him." David's tears were a little more obvious now; the back of his mittens growing damp from wiping at his eyes, but it didn't stop him from soldiering on. The person in black shifted slightly, silently, in place as David continued.

"That moment, when I thought Griffin wasn't breathing… It scared me more than anything, ever. I couldn't just give up though, couldn't just lie down and die, even though I wanted too. I figured if he was willing to give his life for me, I owed it to him to take him out of there. We barely made it out in time; the fire was coming through the door and one of the walls when we got away." Here David let out a short little laugh. "Would you believe we wound up in your living room? Scared the crap outta your mom, too, us just popping in like that, never mind the small crater I made. She's a great woman, Millie. She did so much to help, when she had no reason to. She said you'd never forgive her if she didn't at least try to help. She even agreed to keep the secret, the Paladins would never know we were there-" The person in black was seized by a sudden coughing fit, startling David to his feet; the teen whipping around in shock before recognizing and calling out to his visitor.

"Griffin! I thought you were going to wait for me at the house? How long were you standing there?" David had rushed over while speaking, and had relieved the older boy of the two backpacks he had been carrying, watching worriedly while the older boy braced himself on his knees and caught his breath. Once he was sufficiently recovered, he replied.

"Ten minutes, maybe. Knew you wanted to say goodbye, but I'd figured you'd summarize, not give the entire play-by-play." Despite himself, David grinned a little.

"Well she is my best friend. She deserves to know everything."

"I thought I was your best friend?" Griffin was attempting to pout prettily. He looked somewhat ridiculous, but adorable. David stepped into his space, pressing a quick kiss to slightly chapped lips.

"No Griffin, you're my boyfriend, it's different, for one…" David's witty retort was cut off by another coughing fit; Griffin leaning into his side as he doubled over, hacking. David waited until Griffin had again begun to regain his breathe before speaking.

"You shouldn't be out here in this cold anyways, Dr. Harris says…"

"Mrs. Harris," Griffin began as he straightened up, an icy edge to his tone, "said that the cough would likely improve with time, and that I'm doing well enough to be up and about, and that we should get lost before we overstay our welcome." David offered Griffin a conciliatory grin, knowing that he was a little frustrated with David's near-constant mothering the last two weeks since their narrow escape.

"She didn't say that last part, did she?" David asked. Griffin snorted.

"Classy lady like that? Hardly. She did suggest that it would be better if we left now, while the Paladins are still under the assumption that two of the piles of ash in what's left of the Academy are us." David laughed a little at that. Truly, despite their plan having gone so horrible sideways, the fact that they'd been presumed dead in the blaze would buy them plenty of time to get themselves prepared. In fact, unless they somehow slipped up and got caught, they were pretty much entirely free as the only person on Earth who knew they'd survived was the doctor who'd pulled Griffin back from the brink of death, also the mother of the girl who was buried beneath their feet. Griffin thrust his hand out, motioning for his bag to be returned and David did, trying not to let his doubts about the other boy's readiness be apparent. It didn't seem to work though, and Griffin's face grew a little darker. David figured an apology was in order.

"Griffin, I'm sorry. I just can't stop worrying. Lung damage like that is pretty permanent…"

"And right now it's still kind of sensitive, it won't always be this bad, David. And so what if I cough? I'm still alive, and I won't let it stop me. Just remind me not to take up smoking in the future, yeah?" David couldn't help a little chuckle, even though it wasn't really funny. Griffin was trying so hard to soldier through this, despite the mutual guilt they both carried for having let things get so out of hand, and go so wrong.

David knew that Griffin would probably never stop blaming himself for making David start the fire in the first place, when it was Griffin's idea and David could have so easily been hurt. David also knew that he'd never forgive himself for having forgotten that bottle on the desk: the one that had exploded and turned a relatively controlled fire into a raging inferno; one that had almost taken the Brit away from him, forever. But these were dark thoughts, for another day. Today they had more important things to take care of. Turning imperiously, David nudged Griffin forward, facing the headstone straight on.

"Millie Harris, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Griffin. Yes, he really is as adorable as he looks, even if he hates me for saying so." Griffin actually said nothing, letting his lethal glare do all the talking while David just laughed. Instead, Griffin swung his backpack onto the ground, taking a moment to root through the depths before withdrawing a single item. Glancing at David's curious face, Griffin took a moment to compose his thoughts, before kneeling on the grave to sweep the snow aside, tucking the snow globe into the little bare patch with utmost care.

"Griffin?" David's tone held a clear question, but Griffin ignored him, addressing the grave directly instead.

"I know we've never really met, but I want to give this back to you. It's always been yours, I think, even after David gave it to me. You see, I think… No, I know. I know it was you who arranged for it to have stayed with David, even when you couldn't. I know it was you who made it change hands, I know it was your form of blessing, right? You were giving David over into the care of another… I don't know why you picked me, I'm sure there are many, many people out there that would do better by him than I ever could. But you led him to me, you let me have him, and for that there is nothing on earth I could do you thank you properly. This-" Griffin gestured to the snow globe, "is but a small gesture. You gave me the most special gift on Earth. It seems only fair that I return something to you. Full circle, yeah?" David, who'd been feeling the tears returning during Griffin's passionate declaration, jerked his head up to stare at his boyfriend's back when he heard the last statement.

Full circle indeed.

Griffin was standing now, shouldering his bag and while still a touch paler than normal; he had a healthy pink flush from the cold on his cheeks, and light in his eyes. David knew if he pulled the other teen close, he'd be sweet to kiss, warm to hold, and utterly alive; the greatest gift on Earth. Griffin must've sensed his heavy thoughts, cause he leaned into David's space and elbowed him not too roughly, David smirking and elbowing him back as they picked their way among the snowy graves.

"So the world's our oyster, Davy. Where do we start?"

Despite the cold, the sun was high, turning the previous night's fresh snow into a dazzling sheet of diamond chips. Nearby children was indulging in a snowball fight, their chaotic joy ringing in the air. Beside David was the one the loved most, on his back was a bag with a change of clothes and the few possessions he had that meant anything. They were Jumpers, and the world was theirs for the taking.

"I'm freezing my ass off Griffin; can we please go somewhere warm?" Griffin's wide smile was infectious.

"Any suggestions?"

"Surprise me."

As they rounded the corner out of site of the other people on the sidewalk, Griffin's hand shot out and gripped David's tightly. A moment later there was no trace of their passing, save an idle swirl of snow, and a lone glass orb left on a young girl's grave.


	12. Soundtrack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the music mentioned in the fic linked here for the curious.

As Promised, I have links for all the music mentioned in my fic, "Constant Satellites." Story title was taken from a Vienna Teng song called "Gravity" which kinda set the mood in my head as I wrote. You can hear it [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ULXgJ18xuY) All other songs that I could find links for are listed below. Some of the videos are fan made, and all credit belongs to the creators, not me. Songs themselves are property of the respective artists, writers and labels.

CHAPTER 2:  
[Sunna "Power Struggle"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObbqQJ4NjnU)(fan video)  
[Sunna "I'm Not Trading"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdmg8fJYX4M&NR=1)  
[Stabbing Westward "The Thing I Hate"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8X5uXgOSX8) (fan video)  
[Skunk Anansie "Charlie Big Potatoe"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEp8yJPjedU)  
[Jeff Martin "Lament"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8S7tEvMJ1g)   
[Offspring "Gone Away"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40V9_1PMUGM)  
[Blackmore Night "Wish You Were Here"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYLRVdyCYAs)

CHAPTER 3:  
[Hell is for Heroes "You Drove Me To It"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XoxMW35Yxg) This is the original recording, it was re-recorded later for a different album, and that version can be found [here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W2rD1oUWWk)

CHAPTER 6:  
No songs were actually mentioned by name, but if your curious, this is a sample of what was on Griffin's mellow playlist, in no particular order;  
[Hedley "For the Nights I Can't Remember"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1MeENCvDu0)  
[Tea Party "The Messenger"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUx3SYvcTdQ)  
[Skylar Blue "Till Death Do Us Part"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7GL8iuqJZU)  
[Cobra Starship "The World Has It's Shine (But I Would Drop It On A Dime)"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zCljygrC4c)  
[SafetySuit "Find a Way"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KxKgLnlpR8)


End file.
